Aquatics center [By Liu Wei/chinadaily.com.cn]

London expects its Olympic Park to be a top tourist destination after the 2012 Games.

The ArcelorMittal Orbit, an eye-catching steel tower in the 2.5-square-km park in east London, will function as both a sightseeing attraction and a hospitality space after the Games.

It will host a variety of events such as filming, wedding and corporate hospitality, according to the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC).

Built near the main stadium of the 2012 Games, the 115-meter-high tower was designed by Turner Prize-winning artist Anish Kapoor and his design partner Cecil Balmond. It's an attention grabber, resembling a combination of a roller coaster, DNA helixes and a giant dancing lobster.

Visitors will be able to take an elevator to two viewing platforms, which will offer a birds-eye view of the main stadium and the city. They can then walk down the spiraling staircase that goes around the tower to the base, which is an exhibition space.

The tower is named after ArcelorMittal, a steel and mining company that paid around 19 million pounds ($30 million) of the 22-million-pound project. The rest was funded by the London Development Agency.

The tower has reached its full height. The final steel ring was put into place in late October.

The park also has nine sporting venues. Construction has been completed on five of them, including the Olympic Stadium, Aquatics Centre, Velodrome, Handball Arena and Basketball Arena, said John Evans, head of communications, the Olympic Delivery Authority.

The media centers in the park are also finished, and the remaining sites, such as the Olympic Village, are set to be completed early next year, Evans said.

The park is expected to be one of the top 10 tourist destinations in London by 2020. OPLC predicts that 9.3 million visitors from the UK and abroad will visit the park each year beginning in 2016.