London Eye Brits’ top tourist spot

Riders inside one of the Eye’s 32 pods, left, look out over the Palace of Westminster. Picture / Reuters

For a structure dismissed by planners as "rubbish", it is amazing that the London Eye ever made it to tower over the British capital's skyline.

But five years on, the giant ferris wheel has earned its place among the world's most famous landmarks, beating the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and the leaning tower of Pisa in a poll published last week.

Britons voted the London Eye, which stands 135m high along the South Bank, the world's best tourist attraction, above the likes of Sydney Opera House and the Vatican in Rome.

The millennial landmark, which celebrated its fifth anniversary this month, was chosen as the site people would most like to see in a survey to find the best holiday destination in the world.

The Ultimate Destinations poll asked 2000 respondents to pick their ultimate tourist destination from 11 international sites.

Elliott Frisby, a spokesman for VisitBritain, said the London Eye represented the modern face of Britain.

"I think it encapsulates the contemporary side of our attractions. We are known around the world for our history and heritage but the London Eye is a modern monument.

"It is not just the attraction itself but the wonderful views of other London attractions such as the Houses of Parliament and St Paul's cathedral that make it so special," he said.

Mr Frisby said it was the top paid-for attraction based on VisitBritain's figures for 2003, drawing 3.7 million visitors, compared with 1.97 million visitors who visited the Tower of London, Britain's second biggest tourist destination.

The creators of the London Eye, husband and wife architects David Marks and Julia Barfield, came up with the idea for a giant Ferris wheel along the Thames on their kitchen table in South London in 1993.

Ms Barfield said on the London Eye website: "From the beginning we wanted to create something uplifting - something that would delight."

When it was built over a period of 16 months for the millennium, it was the largest observation wheel ever built and the only cantilevered structure of its kind in the world.

It was also the largest structure ever hoisted into a vertical position in one operation; over 1700 people from five countries were involved in erecting it.

Since it opened in 2000, 18 million people have visited it and it has won more than 40 awards for tourism, architecture and engineering.

It recently had its original five-year planning permission extended by a further 24 years.

London was further feted as the city of choice for tourists after the Palace of Westminster was voted the most recognisable Government building, over contenders which included the White House and the UN headquarters in New York.

But the capital city came second to New York when it came to shopping. Voters found Bloomingdales to be the world's best department store over Harrods and Selfridges.

The Great Wall of China was voted best wonder of the Medieval world and the Pyramids took the vote for the best ancient wonder.

- INDEPENDENT