ATHENS, Greece – The Athens Games (search) are not turning out to be the tourism boom many in the city had hoped.
While popular sites like the Acropolis (search) are drawing tourists, many stadiums are half-empty. Only 2.9 million tickets of the 5.3 million available have been sold so far.
Tour operators say it’s not only Athens but the Greek Islands (search) too. Some hotels are practically empty at a time of year when most are usually packed.
"There is hotel availability at the moment," said travel agent Petros Vinieratos, and prices at some hotels have dropped up to 50 percent.
Greek politicians say they shouldn't be blamed for a low Olympic turn out; the world security situation is the problem. And while many people may be unsure about traveling during these times, another cause of the low attendance could be that the Greeks were slow to promote the Games –- up until the spring the Ministry of Tourism didn’t even exist.
Politicians who spent more than $7 billion on these Games ($3 billion over budget) are nervous, and telling the Greeks the payoff will come later.
Harry Collossis, Greek tourism minister, said the financial effect won’t really be seen until four or five years from now.
Go to the video link at the top of this story to watch a report by FOX News' Dana Lewis.
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