France assured foreign tourists yesterday that they would be able to visit the country this summer without enduring World Cup soccer mayhem and inflated prices.

Tourism Minister Michelle Demessine told a news conference in London that, while France was hosting the tournament from June 10th to July 12th, most of the country would not be affected directly.

"There will be no matches in 95 per cent of the country and the prices will be the normal prices that people pay," she said.

Eager to ensure that the World Cup does not deter ordinary tourists, Demessine said that measures were being taken to protect holidaymakers' pockets.

"We want to present a smiling face, to show that France is happy to welcome all the visitors this summer," she said.

"We will do everything we can to ensure that we don't disappoint them and to ensure that people who do not watch soccer enjoy their visit to France."

In the venue cities, 700 hotels had agreed not to raise prices by more than 25 per cent.

But although Demessine was in London to promote tourism, most of the questions she faced concerned controversial ticketing arrangements for the World Cup.

The British government has mounted a publicity campaign to persuade fans without tickets to stay at home during the tournament.

A shortage of tickets has raised fears that thousands of England and Scotland supporters will travel to France anyway and that they could become violent.

"I am aware that there is a campaign here asking supporters and people not to go and I wouldn't like to contradict that message," said Demessine.

"But people can come over on a day trip maybe and sample the atmosphere while bearing in mind that it will be extremely difficult to get tickets in France."