http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4723971/Ticket sales slow in U.S. for Athens' OlympicsUpdated: 5:27 p.m. ET April 12, 2004U.S. ticket sales for the 2004 Summer Games in Athens are down about 30 percent and travel packages are down 20 percent compared with the 2000 Games in Sydney, according to Don Williams, head of Cartan Tours, the only agency licensed by the U.S. Olympic Committee to sell Olympic tickets.
Williams speculated that security concerns of American travelers are the biggest reason for the dip, with the sluggish economy and the poor value of the U.S. dollar against the Euro also contributing. “We anticipated that Athens would be a little lighter than Sydney
and it is,” Williams said. “We also anticipated that bookings would be a little lighter, and that seems to be the case, too.”
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The Greeks have allocated more than $800 million for security, more than triple the amount spent at the Sydney Games, but a number of U.S. athletes and fans have expressed concerns about their safety, according to Williams and USOC CEO Jim Scherr.
Williams said his company has observed a general sluggishness in sales since tickets became available. He said he did not notice a dip after the Madrid train bombings or any other world event.
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