VisitBrighton.com, the official online guide to Brighton, is proud to announce two exciting new developments in its tourist offerings as well as some prestigious new gastronomic accolades - all reinforcing Brighton’s growing reputation as a dynamic tourist destination.
i-360 To Transform Brighton’s West Pier Into Towering Glory
A stunning new landmark observation tower from the creative force behind The London Eye was announced on Friday for the land end of Brighton’s West Pier. The elegant, needle thin tower, named ‘Brighton i-360’, will be 183 metres high, taller than Blackpool Tower, The Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth and The London Eye, and will transport a single donut shaped observation capsule silently up and down the tower every 20 to 30 minutes. Up to 100 passengers inside the capsule will enjoy spectacular 360-degree panoramic views across the City of Brighton, the surrounding South Downs and as far as Beachy Head to the East and the Isle of Wight and Hampshire to the West. An illuminated beacon atop the spire will provide further impact at night. The Brighton i-360 will have the capacity for 4,000 people per day and ticket prices will be approximately £8.00 per person. The £20 million, privately funded project will take an estimated two years to design and build, and will be partly powered by energy efficient wind turbines at the top of the structure.
The Brighton i-360 is the brainchild of Marks Barfield Architects who are working on the project with the Brighton West Pier Trust, which owns the land for the site of the new observation mast. The proposed development also includes a new West Pier Heritage Centre at the lower esplanade level and two restored original toll booths, as well as new seating and lighting. A planning application will be submitted to the Council in due course.
Adam Bates, head of tourism at VisitBrighton says: “We are thrilled at the prospect of having this elegant 21st century tourist attraction in our city. The developers are predicting that the Brighton i-360 will attract 550,000 visitors a year – a similar number to that which the West Pier attracted in its heyday - of which around 20 per cent will be new visitors to the city.”
Three Ways to Tour Brighton!
1st April 2006 saw the launch of City MP3 Tours from VisitBrighton. There are three audio walks available – “A Flavour of the Lanes”, “Around the Royal Pavilion and North Laine”, and “The Twittens and Regency Brighton” - all of which allow visitors to explore the city’s top attractions, whilst listening to an interesting and informative commentary.
The tours are an innovative new scheme and Brighton is the third city in the UK to sign up for them. Visitors can download tours and maps from a website onto their ipods and MP3 players, order a tour CD online, or alternatively hire an MP3 player containing the tour from the Brighton Visitor Information Centre.
Culture and tourism spokeswoman Cllr Sue John said: “These tours will give visitors the chance to enjoy the city at their own individual pace. They have proved a great success in Cambridge and London and should offer visitors to Brighton a laid back way to learn more about the city.”
The tours have been designed by VisitBrighton in conjunction with Tourist Tracks, who specialise in MP3 tours, and local Blue Badge Guide Glenda Clarke, and can be accessed and downloaded through www.visitbrighton.com
Brighton Sweeps The Board In Observer Food Monthly Awards 2006
Brighton is positively bursting with variety when it comes to eating out, so it comes as no surprise that the city’s restaurants have dominated the 2006 Observer Food Monthly Awards, published on 26th March 2006 - observer.guardian.co.uk/foodmonthly. New in 2006, Bill’s (www.billsproducestore.co.uk) with its famous ‘Deli-Dining’ vibe, signature blow-out salads and made to order smoothies, won the Best Newcomer and Carluccios (www.carluccios.co.uk), also new for 2006, won the Best Breakfast category. The Jolly Sportsman (www.thejollysportsman.com) was voted second for Best Sunday Lunch and Pokeno Pies (www.pokeno.co.uk) came third for Best Cheap Eats. There were a further nine nominations for Brighton restaurants and delis including Momma Cherri’s Soul Food Shack (www.mommacherri.co.uk) - of Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares fame – which was nominated for the Best for Kids category and vegetarian phenomenon, Terre a Terre (www.terreaterre.co.uk) which was nominated for the Best Restaurant category.
With over 400 restaurants in Brighton & Hove, more than anywhere in the UK outside London, the destination is a foodie’s heaven.
For more information about visiting Brighton go to www.visitbrighton.com
Most Recent Comments