As with expos and other events such as the Olympics, World Cup, etc., the big promise from promoters and organizers is that winning the bid will bring in floods of tourists, billions in revenue and create jobs. In practice, however, the projects are plagued with massive cost overruns, rampant corruption and promises of fueling surrounding businesses and economies that fail to materialize. Add the Milan Expo to the list of failures. The multi-billion-dollar taxpayer-burdened event will do as much to boost the sagging Italian economy as the $15 billion (by current exchange rates) 2004 Athens Olympics did to boost the Greek economy.
