The tournament brought more than 309,000 visitors to Qatar , the government reports . van Schalkwyk said that pre-tournament fears that the long travel distances , high airline ticket costs and fear of crime would deter travelers from coming to South Africa turned out to be unfounded . 38 % of those were first -time visitors , the country 's FIFA says .
The tournament brought more than 309,000 visitors to Qatar , the government reports . 38 % of those were first -time visitors , the country 's FIFA says .