A total of over seven million tickets to the 2010 Shanghai World Expo have been sold out so far, Xinhua reported on Monday.

Ticket sales, now at 7.25 million, have basically matched official expectations, said Xuwei, spokesman for the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination, at a promotional press conference in China's northeast Liaoning Province.

Expo organizers predict that 70 million people will visit Shanghai during the 184-day international event, which will run from May through to October, next year.

In previous world expos, the host country's residents have usually accounted for most of the visitors, while usually about five percent are from overseas.

For the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, 3.5 million overseas visitors are expected.

Xu said visitors should purchase tickets in advance to avoid long lines at ticket gates.

--by Xu Leiying