Beautified capital’s massive infrastructure investment will outlast the Olympic Games
BRIGHTER LIGHTS AND CLEAN STREETS ARE SET TO HELP PUT ATHENS FIRMLY ON TO THE VISITOR'S ITINERARY, WHILE THE LASTING EFFECT SHOULD BE TO MATCH THE REPUTATION OF EUROPEAN RIVALS SUCH AS BARCELONA, PARIS OR LONDON

VASSO PAPANDREOU Minister for the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works

The Olympic Games is seen as a real opportunity for Greece – and Athens especially – to modernize its infrastructure and take a leap into the future. An enormous amount of work has already been done to prepare the capital for what lies ahead but there is still much to do. With less than two years to go, the preparation is now very much a race against the clock.
Vasso Papandreou, the Minister for the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works, has the daunting task of coordinating the myriad projects under way in preparation for the Games.
She also oversees other large-scale infrastructure schemes throughout the country, including the big toll road projects and the massive upgrade of the national rail network. Coupled with her high-profile environmental portfolio, it is quite a balancing act.

Mrs. Papandreou insists that all projects related to the Olympic Games will be ready on time. She also believes Athenians will not be complaining in two years time when the frenetic pace of construction activity eases and Athens becomes a new and vibrant modern city and a nicer place to live. Other Olympic cities have faced similar problems, she adds.

“I think there have been difficulties in all the other host countries of the Olympic Games, but these difficulties always disappear once the Games take place and people can see its success,” she says. “So we believe that the same will happen in Athens.”

DIMITRIS AVRAMOPOULOS Mayor of Athens

In fact, far from harming the quality of life and the environment of the city, the current wave of noisy construction work is expected to result in a better standard of living for residents in the long-run, and easier traveling for visitors. Property prices and the cost of living have gone up accordingly.
Major projects that have changed the face of Athens include the opening of the new international airport in 2001 and the metro system in 2000.
Another important figure in the run-up to the Games is the Mayor of Athens, Dimitris Avramopoulos, who is due to step down in October 2002 after eight years in office. He sees enormous potential in the Olympics to enhance the image of his beloved city on the world stage. Huge strides have already been taken, he says.

IMPROVEMENTS are aimed at making the city an ultimate tourist destination rather than a stepping stone to the islands.

Since assuming office in 1994 – exactly 10 years before the start of the Games – he says the city has managed to transform itself from a grimy place, to a modern and competitive cosmopolitan center. His administration has cut the city’s budget deficit, reduced crime rates and pollution levels and tackled other social ills and renovated the appearance of the city.
Mr. Avramopoulos believes that Athens had been neglected for far too long, although after eight years of hard work, things have finally turned around.
“People with experience in local politics were telling me that there was no hope for the city,” he says. “It was dark and dirty and this discouraged visitors from coming here. People preferred to go straight to the islands rather than come here for a few days first.”

Since those early days, the appearance of Athens city center has been neatly groomed, with everything billed as a great priority – the beautification of the city, green spaces, traffic control, and cultural and social programs. It has all helped generate confidence and raise the prestige of the city.
“Athens is a much more pleasant and a safer city to live in,” he says. “We cooperate with other capital cities in the region and the world to promote ideas and projects aimed at improving quality of life.

“We are improving life for the homeless and we have created a foundation to give shelter and food to more than 2,500 homeless people and they are encouraged toward social integration. The disabled have more facilities now and we have installed over 77 square miles of sidewalk. We have also created more venues for cultural events and are developing parks where we have planted hundreds of thousands of trees.”

THE NEW international airport opened its doors in 2001.

Mr. Avramopoulos believes that these efforts will go a long to help change the general perception of Athens in the U.S. and elsewhere, where it has not always enjoyed the same good reputation as other European capitals, like London or Paris. He says he is optimistic that attitudes and opinions will shift after the Games.
“Athens will become the tourist’s ultimate destination rather than a stepping stone to the islands,” he says. “I believe it will enjoy a similar success to that of Barcelona in the aftermath of its Olympics in 1992.”

There is also an expectation that the upgrading of the country’s infrastructure and tourism facilities will lead to an increase in the number of U.S. arrivals after 2004. Last year, some 13 million tourists visited Greece, a figure which included just 200,000 Americans. One of the most important tasks of the state tourism agency is to attract more, especially since they tend to spend over three times the average spent by European tourists. In all, the country is looking to attract some 20 million visitors a year by 2020.

For now, intensive work continues in Athens, and indeed throughout large parts of Greece, in preparation for the Games, much to the benefit of both local and foreign contractors. When 2004 arrives, local officials, like Mr. Avramopoulos, believe that Athens will be ready to show the world that it represents modern Greece in the 21st century.
“The work for the city never ends,” he says, “and everyone has noticed the positive changes.”