Athens municipal authorities and the Greek government will spend more than 100 million euros over the next 17 months to “prettify” the city for the benefit of foreign visitors during the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games.
Athens Mayor Dora Bakoyianni, and Culture Minister Evangelos Venizelos told a joint press conference that the government will provide 59 million euros for the campaign. Municipal authorities are expected to match the contribution.
Venizelos said, “it is very important for the city of Athens … to present an image that will do our country justice (in 2004)”.
The money will be spent on keeping the city clean, planting up to 10,000 new trees, resurfacing roads, installing public toilets, getting rid of stray animals, improving access for the disabled and “promoting the city”.
Meanwhile, International Olympic Committee (IOC) vice president Thomas Bach said that progress in the preparations for the Games was “satisfactory” but that there was not a moment to lose.
Also, Olympic organizers have said they have already exceeded their local sponsorship target by 13 per cent with only a fraction of total contracts signed.
Bach said, “Athens has the best marketing program in the history of the Olympic Games…and the Games’ ticketing program is the most inclusive such program ever”.
Athens 2004 has much lower ticket prices than the 2000 Sydney Games and more than half of all tickets cost 20 euros.
