High temperatures in the first half of August have dampened the number of visitors to the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai, which was reflected in consumption figures for the park released Thursday.

The figures from the Ministry of Commerce showed that gross sales in the Expo Park, excluding sales inside the pavilions, reached 229 million yuan ($33.70 million) in the first half of August, down 10.2 percent from the same period last month.

Sales in the dining industry accounted for 134 million yuan ($19.70 million), down 9.9 percent. The number of diners dropped by 13.2 percent to 2.85 million. Average dining consumption per capita climbed by 3.9 percent to 46.91 yuan ($6.90).

The sales of commercial goods plunged by 10.7 percent to 95.6 million yuan ($14 million) from the first half of July. Average consumption for commercial goods per capita slipped by 0.6 percent to 17.06 yuan ($2.51), compared with the same period last year.

The number of entrants to the Expo in the period was 5.61 million, with a daily average of 373,000, down 13 percent.

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