Sky tower opens on resort island

Sky tower opens on resort island

SINGAPORE: Singapore's latest tourist drawcard, a 110 meter tower, opened on Thursday on the Sentosa resort island offering a 360-degree view of the tiny Southeast Asian nation.

"Sentosa's newest attraction has broad appeal to people of all age groups and offers our guests an interesting perspective from the sky," said Sentosa Leisure Group's chief executive Darrell Metzger at the opening ceremony.

Sentosa Leisure Group manages the resort island, which is popular with locals and foreign tourists and is a 15-minute car ride from the main business district.

The six-million-dollar (US$3.57 million) Sky Tower has a circle-shaped air-conditioned cabin capable of carrying 72 people on a seven-minute ride 130 meters above sea level for a 360- degree view of the city-state and offshore islands.

Sentosa is undergoing a three-billion-dollar facelift to boost its appeal and aims to attract at least eight million visitors annually by 2012. -- AFP.