Zhangjiajie National Forest Park Photo: IC

Towering more than 300 meters 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, a speedy attraction as domestic tourism slowly recovers in China after the coronavirus forced strict travel measures and lockdowns near the start of 2020.

It delivers tourists to the top of the sandstone rock face that inspired the fictional jungle moon of Pandora of the 2009 James Cameron smash hit.

"One of the main reasons we came is that the site inspired Avatar," said Qiao Ke, 45, who traveled 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."

Around 8,000 tourists take the lift every day. However, numbers are still down from 14,000 before the pandemic.