The number of foreign visitors to the football World Cup in South Africa will be about 110,000 fewer than originally forecast, according to a report published yesterday.

The world recession, slow ticket sales in Africa and high prices will combine to depress numbers for the event in June, said Grant Thornton, an accounting and management consultancy group. But longer stays and higher spending by visitors will probably serve to compensate, giving a significant boost to South Africa's economy.

Gillian Saunders, the report's author and director of Grant Thornton's strategic solutions division in Johannesburg, said she expected 373,000 visitors during the month-long tournament, compared with an estimate last year of 483,000. She added that the economic slowdown had led many football fans to postpone decisions to buy tickets.