Jan. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Turin officials say ticket sales for the Winter Olympic Games are well below their expectations, forcing them to advertise the Northern Italian region's wine and food as a lure for tourists.

About 40 percent of 1 million available tickets are unsold, including seats at the Feb. 10 opening ceremony, according to Turin's Olympic Committee. The city plans to lift sales with a nationwide campaign to market two of the area's best-known products: white truffles and Barolo wine.

``We thought it would be enough to say ``come to the Games'' to convince people,'' Giorgio Lauretta, the Committee's head of ticketing, said in a Jan. 11 interview. ``The link between the Games and the region could have been stronger.''

Italy is spending 2.3 billion euros ($2.8 billion) on the showpiece and counting on it to spur growth after a recession last year. Turin, known as the home of Fiat SpA, the country's biggest manufacturer, wants the Games to boost tourism and bring the city's popularity to the level of Rome and Florence.

The newspaper ad campaign is accompanying the Olympic torch as it stops in 61 Italian towns and cities, from Catania in Sicily to Bolzano in the northern region of Trentino, said Elda Tessore, the councilwoman who oversees the Games for Turin.

Turin-based daily newspaper La Stampa on Jan. 17 also ran a full page listing Web sites where Italians may buy tickets, along with information on the design of the tickets, which the newspaper said may become ``collector's items.''

`No Hurry'

Some residents aren't impressed. Taxi driver Andrea Cortese isn't in a hurry to buy a ticket to see the men's skiing because so many are left.

``I'll be able to get a ticket eventually,'' said Cortese in an interview as he drove around the Olympic Village site.

The Games were forecast to increase Italy's gross domestic product by 0.2 percentage point on average each year through 2009 as a result of higher investment, consumer spending and exports, according to the Committee. The organizers need to sell as many as 850,000 tickets to raise a targeted 76 million euros, according to Lauretta. The 600,000 tickets sold so far have brought in about 53 million euros, he said.

``It was mistakenly thought that the Games would sell themselves,'' said Tessore. ``We can still succeed in convincing people they need to be here.''

The city and Piedmont regional government have invested 260 million euros to help finance the Olympics' three arenas, including the Torino Oval Lingotto for speed skating.

`PR Effort'

``The image of a full stadium is important,'' Carlo Alberto Carnevale, a professor of corporate strategy at Milan's Bocconi University, said in a telephone interview. ``The Olympics are part of a country's PR effort. They should consider giving tickets away.''

Salt Lake City raised $183 million from tickets at its Games in 2002, exceeding organizers' targets by $83 million, according to the International Olympic Committee, based in Lausanne, Switzerland. The 2004 Summer Games in Athens brought in about $200 million from ticket sales.

The Turin region has added 3,000 hotel rooms since 2000, bringing the total to 18,000. There are three five-star hotels in Turin, compared with just one a year ago, including the GoldenPalace Hotel where a suite can cost 3,500 euros a night.

``We have some doubts over the future of the Turin area,'' said Maurizio Baldini, director of Federalberghi Torino, a trade organization which represents hoteliers in the region. ``The tourist industry is still not developed here.''

Sold-Out Soccer

Sales have done better outside Italy, Lauretta said. The U.S. tops the list so far, followed by Germany and France. Russians are buying as many as 100 tickets a day, he said.

Tickets are still available for all three Nordic combined skiing races, a competition that includes cross-country skiing and ski- jumping. The men's ice-hockey final sold out soon after it went on sale in November 2004, according to Lauretta.

By contrast, tickets to the World Cup soccer tournament in Germany in June and July are attracting orders for more than what's available. Fans applied for six million World Cup tickets in the latest sales window, 24 times the amount available, FIFA, world soccer's governing body, said on Jan. 16.

Jumbo Grandi Eventi, a unit of tour operator Cuneo, Italy-based Alpitour SpA that's assisting with Olympic ticket orders, has written to Italian parishes in a bid to boost sales, said spokesman Massimo Cilli.

School Discounts

The company is offering schools discounts on packages, combining tickets and accommodation in 1,500 hotels and 500 apartments. They sell for between 285 euros per person for a three-night stay and 775 euros for seven nights. The travel company has sold about 800 packages so far, said Cilli.

The Italian tendency to avoid advance or Internet bookings for events may be to blame for the sales shortfall. About one out of two Italians are likely to buy tickets during the last month, said Lauretta, citing a survey by the Committee.

``Many people are undecided because there are few real fans of winter sports,'' said Simona Ferro, 29, a freelance translator in Turin. ``Many are going just to wander around and they're not really sure what to go and see. I'm like that too.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Elisa Martinuzzi in Milan at emartinuzzi@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: January 19, 2006 19:15 EST