Russia has, historically, not been seen as the friendliest, warmest place but if you find yourself in any major street in one of the World Cup host cities and your preconceived notions may be reduced to naught.

Streets are filled with energy, merrymaking and smiles aplenty.

For a country with a culture that generally frowns upon unsolicited smiles, there are ear-to-ear signs of delight as fans, locals and visitors alike enjoy the festivities and sporting action all over the country as the football's biggest event hits the midway mark.

As unique events like Mexico's Day of the Dead, mix together with the warm atmosphere of the World Cup, it begs the question, will it last?

Will Russia still smile after the World Cup? 

According to this video by the BBC, people on the street seem to be mostly ambivalent about whether the tournament will continue to leave its mark. 

One person says that “the atmosphere is wonderful, I’m very happy this is happening in Russia”, while another says, tellingly, that “to be honest I didn't even expect to see this many people”.

It is evident that people are excited with supporters from virtually all over the world having made their way to Russia to enjoy Russian hospitality and world-class footballing action.

ALSO SEE: 2018 FIFA World Cup fans by the numbers: Which country is most excited?

ForwardKeys data released ahead of the tournament showed flight bookings for arrivals in Russia were up 50.5% ahead of the same period last year.

Equally of interest is the fact that outbound bookings from Russia are down by 12.4%, as more Russians stay home during the summer months to enjoy the World Cup.

Their data also shows the most substantial increase in visitors, from countries that have not qualified for the World Cup, come from the US, China, India, Israel, Paraguay, UAE, Turkey, Canada and South Africa. According to their data, the teams that have qualified for the World Cup who are seeing the greatest numbers of visitors to Russia include Brazil, Spain, South Korea, UK, Germany, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Australia and Egypt.

SEE: 

According to the Associated Press, part of the happiness the Russian citizens are exuding may be related to the economic benefit being derived from the World Cup. In Moscow, taxi drivers, football-viewing bars and dating apps are among the big winners. 

"We are so far off the chart on this, we order as much beer in one night as we would order in a month," said Doug Steele, owner of Papa's Bar & Grill on Nikolskaya Street just off Red Square.

The block-long GUM shopping mall adjacent to the Kremlin has seen its traffic climb 80% compared to the same period last year, according to its manager, Teymuraz Guguberidze. "The effect is much higher than our expectation," he said. "It makes us very happy."

Beyond the major, well-known, destination cities, the World Cup has brought with it a flurry of activity being felt in the lesser-known host cities in Russia.

SEE: 

Saransk, probably the least-known host city has spent hundreds of millions in preparation for the World Cup according to AP. Locals were left smiling as their apartments, heavily in demand, were rented out and their businesses were heavily frequented by fans after games. 

In Kazan, another host city, sales of the chak-chak dessert and other food and treats have soared. 

Cultural tourism has seen a boost as well with visits to lesser-known monuments and cultural sites including the museum dedicated to philosopher Immanuel Kant, the World War II museum in Volgograd and more have seen marked numbers of visitors.

With all this happening, it certainly is easy to understand why there is a festive, upbeat energy permeating the cities, towns and streets of Russia.

Some of the people interviewed in the BBC video are realistic in their expectations, as the energy will likely "undergo a gradual change toward gloomy normality". 

One person says that “Russians are gloomier and there will not be this much fun in the streets” while another says that “I think it will slowly fade away. Not at once, but gradually the pace will slow down. But I still think this friendship will remain in memories.”

Smile-filled streets or not, there are plenty of reasons to make your way to Russia. If you're interested, make sure to check out our