Debt-Ridden Greece Hopes Ancient Sites Can Yield New Cash

New York Times
January 23, 2012

This is what it has come to in Greece: the Acropolis, the quintessential symbol of Greek culture and identity, could soon become a popular destination for fashion photographers and Hollywood producers, as cultural officials look for ways to raise money to make up for cuts in public financing.

With the coffers for maintaining cultural sites quickly running dry, the authorities say they had little choice but to make the Acropolis — along with dozens of other revered sites like Delphi and Ancient Olympia — more attractive to foreign film crews, advertising firms and publishing houses by slashing the cost of permits.

While most of the sites were available already, the costs were prohibitively high. But now, monuments and archaeological sites will be available for $1,300 a day for a photography session and about $2,000 a day for filming, the Culture and Tourism Ministry announced last week. The prices are about a third of those on a list drawn up in 2005, a year after the Olympic Games put Greece in the global spotlight.

The decision has not been universally applauded. Apparently, visions of Will Smith fighting aliens on the Acropolis did not sit well with some people.

More