Emaar Properties, the developer of the iconic Burj Khalifa, The Dubai Mall and several thriving residential communities in Dubai, has launched the first-ever WeChat Mini-Program by a leisure attraction in the region, that is fully integrated with WeChat Pay for At the Top, Burj Khalifa.

A part of the WeChat ecosystem, the Mini-Program will enable WeChat users to access all the information related to the world’s highest observation deck and book tickets in advance. This further adds to the convenience of Chinese tourists to Dubai, who delight in visiting the attraction that is accessed via its dedicated entrance in The Dubai Mall.

Ahmed Falasi, Executive Director, Group Operations, Emaar Properties, said: “At the Top, Burj Khalifa is among the most popular attractions for visitors from China. With the launch of the dedicated Mini-Program, we are adding to their convenience by enabling easy bookings as well as offering all the information relating to the attraction and its varied experiences on their smartphones and devices.”

The launch of the Mini-Program closely follows the unveiling of WeChat Pay in the UAE earlier this year, ensuring that users of China’s most popular social networking site can effortlessly visit At the Top, Burj Khalifa during their visit to Dubai. With exponential growth in overnight visitors from China, the event opens new frontiers and reinforces the market’s rising prominence as one of Dubai’s fastest growing source markets.

Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing said: “As Dubai continues to strengthen its position as a preferred destination of choice for Chinese travellers, our ongoing partnership with Tencent is testament to our commitment to providing seamless payment and tourist experiences to our guests. The launch of the new WeChat Mini-Program for At the Top, Burj Khalifa, an important and iconic attraction for the city, will further enhance the experience for our Chinese guests, facilitating increased ease of travel when they visit Dubai.”

Tourism volumes from China to Dubai increased by 12 per cent year-on-year in 2018 to 857,000 overnight visitors, and this ongoing initiative opens new frontiers and reinforces China’s rising prominence as one of the emirate’s fastest growing source markets. The relationship is underpinned by Dubai’s China Readiness strategy, which incorporates a series of large-scale initiatives in collaboration with key strategic partners such as Tencent, with the ultimate goal of further enhancing the visitor experience for Chinese tourists.

The WeChat Mini-Program, which can also be accessed offline for all relevant information, has a dedicated booking module that allows users to book tickets to visit At the Top, Burj Khalifa and At the Top, Burj Khalifa SKY as well as The Lounge, the highest lounge in the world that was only recently opened to the public. Situated on levels 152, 153 and 154 of Burj Khalifa, The Lounge offers exceptional views of the city and a fascinating dining experience.

“We are excited to see the WeChat ecosystem expanding globally to the great benefit of Chinese traveling to and living in Dubai. Experience Burj Khalifa Mini Program provides an exclusive audio tour of the global icon, enables purchasing tickets with WeChat Pay, and provides a fun customisable digital photo booth.  Burj Khalifa has also become the first international leisure attraction to launch a WeChat Mini Game. The game gives users the chance to build their own tower, attempting to reach the 828 metres height of the Burj Khalifa itself. As Chinese tourists travel across the world, we hope other tourism-industry players can learn from Tourism Dubai and Emaar to create great experiences and welcome them with WeChat,” said Juliet Zhu, Head of WeChat Marketing.

Users can also conveniently book tickets for the Etihad Museum, The Dubai Fountain Lake Ride, The Dubai Fountain Boardwalk experience as well as the Mission 828 and The Burj Club experiences.

The unique features of the WeChat Mini-Program include a Chinese audio guide that walks visitors through all the touch points in the attraction starting from the reception to the observation deck, and provides translated testimonials of commentaries by the experts associated with Burj Khalifa and other celebrities. It also has a fun photo booth that allows users to add stickers, featuring WeChat’s official bubble pups, to their pictures taken during the experience.

A special LED show on Burj Khalifa was held to celebrate the launch, attended by senior officials of Emaar, Dubai Tourism and Tencent, the developer of the multi-purpose messaging, social media and mobile payment app.