Organizers of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo launched ticket sales for the event on Friday, kicking off the 400-day countdown to the global event scheduled on May 1 next year.

A worker unveils the sample tickets of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo on the sales launching ceremony in Shanghai, March 27, 2009.

It is the first round of ticket sales, targeted only at group visitors who can book seats through appointed agencies. Individuals cannot book tickets until July 1, organizers said.

The first batch of official ticket distributors include four domestic agencies - China Mobile, China Telecom, Bank of Communications and China Post - as well as nine overseas agencies.

Eight entities, including enterprises and local governments in the Yangtze River Delta, booked 180,000 tickets at the launching ceremony.

Organizers said they aimed to sell over 62 million tickets to meet the goal of having 70 million footfalls to the international show, assuming that some would visit more than once.

With a benchmark price of 160 yuan (US$23), the newly unveiled ticket carries a logo, the mascot Haibao, and the theme catchline "Better City, Better Life". The tickets come in nine categories, offering different levels of discounts.