developed with private firms into Prangin Mall and 1st Avenue Mall, respectively. While Komtar was originally built to revitalise George Town, by the early 2000s, it became a white elephant itself. The displacement of entire neighbourhoods and businesses during the construction of Komtar in the 1970s and 1980s caused the vicinity of Komtar to become depopulated, thus depriving the retailers within Komtar of a catchment area. The 1997 Asian financial crisis exacerbated the decline of Komtar, while the completion of newer shopping malls throughout George Town led to retailers in Komtar shutting down in droves. Potential tenants and the general public alike were also unimpressed by Komtar's poor maintenance, its confusing interior layout and dark, garbage-strewn corners. It was estimated that, as of 2008, some 40% of the retailers in Komtar had left the skyscraper, while many others simply left their shop lots closed. Revitalisation As part of the Penang state government's initiative to regain the glory days of Komtar, a revitalisation effort was launched in late 2012. Only World Group (OWG) was awarded the RM50 million renovation project, which included the construction of a banquet hall at level 5, a 30,000-square-foot boulevard to house food and beverage (F&B) outlets, an international-themed restaurant at levels 59 and 60, a sky restaurant at level 64 and a sky lounge at level 65. in 2015, three new floors were added onto the Komtar Tower, thus increasing its height to 249 metres. The top floor (68th floor) was topped with a rooftop Sky Bar, as well as the highest glass skywalk in Malaysia. Dubbed the Rainbow Skywalk, the 16-metre semi-circular glass skywalk is also the first of its kind in Southeast Asia. The U-shaped glass walkway is constructed from the same glass material as that of Grand Canyon Skywalk and is designed to withstand a total weight of 16 adults. Three high-speed bubble lifts were also installed, two of which connect a theme park at level 5 to levels 65, 66 and 67, while the other links level 59 with the level 68 summit. While the bubble lifts were initially designed with a transparent glass wall to allow for a panoramic view of George Town on the way up, the lifts were modified in 2016 following safety advice by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health for the bubble lifts to be completely concealed. In 2018, The Gravityz, a rope course outside the