Thursday, September 18, 2008

The 'tall' club ...

Millions of people visit towers across the globe annually for an experience of "being at the top". The spectacular heights and panoramic view offered by these towers create tourism opportunities both for the towers and the host countries. With the advent of technology, modern towers are getting higher and higher, reaching incredible heights and in the process, acquire new purposes in telecommunication.
Malaysia’s own Menara KL is among 27 members of the World Federation of Great Towers (WFGT). Created in 1989, the WFGT is an association of international monuments to foster global awareness and develop international opportunities for promotion.
Menara KL Chief Executive Officer Zulkifli Mohamad says 40 million tourists visit the towers yearly.
"Through our membership in the WFGT, Menara KL offers an important window of opportunity in terms of promoting the country’s tourism products and services to the global communities," he said.
The federation meets annually to decide on the following year’s activities and to formulate a marketing plan. Moscow is hosting this year’s conference from September 14 to September 20.
The key criterion for inclusion in the WFGT is that the building must have a public observation deck.

Menara KL joined the WFGT on its inauguration day on October 1, 1996.

Standing tall at 421 meters in the middle of Kuala Lumpur, the tower perches majestically on top of Bukit Nenas, which is itself 94 metres above sea level.


The other 26 member towers of WFGT are: CN Tower in Toronto (Canada), Empire State Building in New York (United States), Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai (China), Blackpool Tower in Blackpool (England), Calgary Tower in Calgary (Canada), Central Radio and TV Beijing in Beijing (China), Collserola Tower in Barcelona (Spain).
Donauturm in Vienna (Austria), Eiffel Tower in Paris (France), Euromast in Rotterdam, (Holland), Fernsehturm Tower in Berlin(Germany), John Hancock Center in Chicago, (United States), Macau Tower in Macau (China), Olympic Tower in Montreal (Canada), Ostankino Tower in Moscow (Russia), Praha TV Tower in Prague (Czech Republic), Q1 in Gold Coast (Australia), Rialto Towers in Melbourne (Australia), Seoul Tower in Seoul (South Korea), Sky Tower in Auckland (New Zealand), Sydney Tower in Sydney, (Australia), Tashkent Tower in Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Tokyo Tower in Tokyo ( Japan), Torre Latino in Mexico City (Mexico), TV and Radio Tower in Tianjin (China) and UFO in Brastislava (Slovak Republic).

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