The Eiffel Tower, one of the world's most iconic images, has been an inspiration that led to the creation of more than thirty similar towers and duplicates in the world. For instance, in Blackpool, England the creation of the Blackpool Tower was a result of inspiration from the Eiffel Tower. John Bickerstaffe, the mayor of the town commissioned its construction in 1889 after visiting the Great Paris Exhibition. It was completed in 1894 and has since been a popular tourist attraction in England. Unlike the Eiffel Tower, the Blackpool Tower is not free standing as it has buildings contained in its base including the Tower Circus.
Another replica of the Eiffel Tower is found in China. In the western part of Shenzhen, there is a theme park known as Window of the World. The park has around 130 reproductions of the world's most famous tourist attractions – e.g. Taj Mahal and the Pyramids of Egypt. All these attractions are squeezed in 48 hectares of land and considered to be one of the leading tourist attractions in China. One of these reproductions is a 108 meter tall Eiffel Tower replica that dominates the skyline.
There is also a replica of the Eiffel Tower at the Kings Dominion and King's Island. The replicas were opened in 1975 and 1972 respectively. Both of them are a third of the original size of the Parisian tower. Taft Broadcasting was their owner then and it was also in charge of their construction. Tourists can use the observation floor which is 80 meters high and see up to 18 miles of the surrounding region. It takes each elevator about 30 seconds to take a group of 50 visitors to the observation floor.
The France Pavilion, within the World Showcase area of the Epcot Park in Florida, has been themed to look like a Parisian neighborhood. It has a view of the Eiffel Tower (replica), fountains and a pool. Tourists in the area can enjoy shopping for French goods in actual shops on the streets. Visitors who are interested in French cuisine can wine and dine at the restaurants available. Currently, the two most popular restaurants are Les Chefs de France and the Bistro de Paris. The pavilion also has the Boulangerie Patisserie and a bakery.
Built in early 1990s, Tennessee's Eiffel Tower is another of many replicas of the original. It is also a landmark in the city of Paris, Tennessee. To commemorate the Memphis Day in 1990, students at Christian Brothers University decided to construct a replica of the Eiffel Tower. Each year, this festival is supposed to honor a country and in 1990 it focused on France. This replica is a wooden version of the Eiffel Tower and it is not quite tall. However, it stills attracts visitors who travel to the area.
The Tokyo Tower, an observations and communications tower standing at 1,091 feet, is a unique replica of the Eiffel Tower and is located in Tokyo, Japan. It is a lattice tower that was inspired by the Eiffel Tower. To comply with air safety regulations, the tower is painted international orange and white. It was built in 1958 and its main revenue sources are antenna leasing and tourism. To date, more than 150 million visitors, local and international, have visited the tower since it was opened. Tourists can enjoy their visit as there are shops, restaurants and a museum in FootTown (a four story building under the tower).