Portsmouth's Spinnaker Tower launches new sky high cafe

Oct. 28, 2010 - PRLog -- Having received two million visitors from around the globe, the UK’s tallest publicly accessible tower outside of London is the centrepiece of the £38 million ‘Renaissance of Portsmouth Harbour’ redevelopment project.  It has become a world class visitor attraction generating £72 million* for its local Portsmouth tourism economy.

October 18th saw the Towers 5th anniversary celebrations and the launch of Café in the Clouds - a new coffee shop, situated 105 metres high on View Deck Two, created in response to customer requests.

The new café can seat up to 36 people and with waiter service provided, visitors can for the first time ever can soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the 350° panoramic views of the most fascinating seascapes in the world, with a high quality selection of freshly ground coffee, teas, home made cakes, or even a glass of wine or champagne!**

Juliana Delaney, Chief Executive of the Tower’s operating company, Continuum, commented: “Five years is a very significant milestone. The Spinnaker Tower has welcomed over 2 million visitors and the tourism economic impact has generated more than £72 million* for the Portsmouth economy, and we should celebrate this success. We want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported the Tower since its inception and to encourage people to continue to support it in the next five years and beyond.

“The Spinnaker Tower has recently become part of the ‘World Federation of Great Towers’, joining the ranks of the world’s greatest towers including the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State building, Seattle Space Needle and Burj Khalifa in Dubai - showing how this icon for the South has now clearly taken its place on a world stage.”

ENDS

* According to the ‘Economic Impact Analysis’ model by Decision Analyst. See www.decisionanalyst.com

** Specific opening hours apply - please check before visiting.

For further media information, images or to arrange a visit to the Spinnaker Tower please contact: Keira Relton or Nick Fletcher on 01904 527700 or email keira.relton@continuum-group.com or nfletcher@continuum-group.com

NOTES TO EDITORS:
Attraction opening hours: 10am to 6pm daily. See www.spinnakertower.co.uk or call 02392 857520 for more information.  

Admission for 2010: Adults £7.25, Children £5.75 and Concessions £6.50. (Discounts are available for local residents – excluding Saturdays during school holidays and bank holidays.) Audio guides, helping visitors to identify key landmarks on the horizon and learn more about the history of Portsmouth and the surrounding areas are also available at £3.00 per person. Book online at www.spinnakertower.co.uk.

The £72 million tourism economic impact of the Spinnaker Tower has been calculated using standard attractions industry multipliers – details available on request.

The Spinnaker Tower along with Gunwharf Quays and Portsmouth Historic Dockyards make up the successful Waterfront City in Portsmouth. Soaring 170 meters high, the Spinnaker Tower is the centrepiece of the £38 million ‘Renaissance of Portsmouth Harbour’ redevelopment project, combining stunning views by day or night with great shopping, eating and drinking at Gunwharf Quays.  

The Spinnaker Tower visitor attraction business is owned by Heritage Projects (Portsmouth) Ltd. The building was built and is owned by Portsmouth City Council. Heritage is the part of the Continuum Group – owners and operators of museums and visitor attractions (see www.continuum-group.com).

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Continuum operates visitor attractions The Canterbury Tales, Edinburgh’s The Real Mary King's Close, Oxford Castle Unlocked, Maidstone’s Kent Life and the Portsmouth’s Spinnaker Tower with a strong management team in York supporting on-site teams.