The 2006 football World Cup would boost Germany's economic growth and employment, a study conducted by the German chamber of commerce (DIHK) said.

In a reported published in Bild Am Sonntag, DIHK President Ludwig Georg Braun said, "We expected the World Cup to create 60, 000 jobs and bring a 0.3-percent growth rate to the country next year." Every third job created by the event would be a permanent one.

The study is based on a survey of about 20,000 companies from all sectors, which expect extra work, a better infrastructure and a boost to the image of the country.

Small business is expecting an increase of 2.2 billion euros during the World Cup, which will be held from June 9 to July 9 next year in 12 German cities, including Berlin and Hamburg.

But travel agencies fear that the event would cause a decrease in their business of 23 percent as more Germans would like to stay at home rather than travel abroad.

Source: Xinhua