Towering more than 300 metres or 1,000 feet up the cliff face that inspired the landscape for the blockbuster movie 'Avatar', the world's highest outdoor lift whisks brave tourists to breathtaking views.
Situated in China, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, the inspiration of Avatar, is a must-see place for its out-of-this-world scenery.
Towering more than 300 metres or 1,000 feet up the cliff face that inspired the landscape for the blockbuster movie 'Avatar', the world's highest outdoor lift whisks brave tourists to breathtaking views.
The three double-decker elevators in central China's Zhangjiajie Forest Park zip up the cliff in just 88 seconds.
The whole of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is huge with many different scenic areas.
As China steadily recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, its domestic tourism is also slowly catching pace. And with the opening of this attractive tourist spot, the tourism industry is surely to get a boom.
This place delivers tourists to the top of the sandstone rock face that inspired the fictional jungle moon of Pandora - home to the blue-hued Na'vi people of the 2009 James Cameron smash hit, 'Avatar'.
'One of the main reasons we came is that the site inspired Avatar,' said Qiao Ke, 45, who travelled to the lift with his family.
'The film really made an impression on us. And it really is beautiful here.'
'Its geological structure is very suited to using elevators as a means of transport, so we made this Bailong Elevator', explained Liu Jie, the director of the company managing the lift, whose name means 'Hundred Dragons.'
'Before, there was only a cable car with limited capacity, so tourists had to wait a long time,' Liu added.
The alternative was to brave a three-hour climb up on foot.
'It's super-fast,' retiree Jin Shihao told AFP after completing the ride, which costs $19 (129 yuan) for a return ticket.
Around 8,000 tourists take the lift every day. However, numbers are still significantly down from an average of 14,000 before the pandemic.
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