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According to government officials, about 95 percent of the 1.2 million Euro-2004 final tournament tickets were sold.
Madalena Torres, in charge of promoting the event abroad and working for Portugal's trade and travel agency ICEP, told a country radio station that 350,000 tickets were purchased by foreigners, while all the remaining ones were bought by Portuguese fans.
The Portuguese government estimated that about one and a half million tourists from abroad, including ticket holders, family members, and friends, will come to the country during the European Championship.
So far, the number of tickets sold is slightly lower than the total sold during the 2000 European Championship, which was held in Belgium and the Netherlands. Euro-2004 organizers said they hoped to sell at least 75% of the seats in the ten stadiums.
Meanwhile, officials from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) predict a profit of 700 million euros from the tournament, with over 80% of this money expected to come from the sale of television broadcasting rights. The remaining money should come from ticket sales and merchandising.
