{"id":21316,"date":"2019-07-21T15:33:02","date_gmt":"2019-07-21T11:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.dubaicityguide.com\/site\/?p=21316"},"modified":"2019-07-21T15:33:02","modified_gmt":"2019-07-21T11:33:02","slug":"dubai-tourism-launches-new-digital-audio-tours-on-wechat-mini-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.dubaicityguide.com\/site\/dubai-tourism-launches-new-digital-audio-tours-on-wechat-mini-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Dubai Tourism Launches New Digital Audio Tours On Wechat Mini Program"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Following the success of the first ever City-Experience Mini Program launched by Dubai\u2019s\u00a0Department of Tourism<\/a>\u00a0and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) in collaboration with WeChat, the programme has been further enhanced with the launch of 10 new digital audio tours which are available for visitors to use while exploring the city. Inviting the users of China\u2019s most popular social networking site to easily access Dubai\u2019s tourist attractions during their stay, the newly re-branded \u2018Dubai Mini Assistant\u2019 elevates the existing program to a more advanced digital maturity, now offering sophisticated chatbot capabilities, powered by Tencent\u2019s AI technology, to provide seamless experiences and services to Chinese travellers.<\/p>\n

With robust growth in overnight visitors from China in the first quarter of 2019, the new audio tours further add to the ease of accessibility for these tourists when visiting Dubai, allowing them to discover the city\u2019s many historic sites and cultural landmarks through their mobile phones. Reconfirming its continued commitment to one of the emirate\u2019s top source markets, Dubai Mini Assistant forms part of the Department\u2019s city-wide \u2018China Readiness\u2019 strategy, focused on designing an enriching and memorable experience for Chinese travellers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Issam Kazim<\/a>, CEO of\u00a0Dubai Corporation<\/a>\u00a0for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM) said: \u201cChina is quickly emerging as one of the fastest growing source markets for Dubai\u2019s tourism industry, with the city welcoming more than 433,000 visitors in the first five months of the year (representing an eight per cent increase when compared to the same period in 2018). Underpinned by this sustained growth, the launch of the new audio tours on our new Mini Program \u2018Dubai Mini Assistant\u2019 further supports our ongoing \u2018China Readiness\u2019 strategy which aims to enhance the holistic experiences of Chinese travellers across the emirate \u2013 particularly those who are increasingly seeking personalised itineraries and independent travel solutions. As such, these apps will not only promote the city as a \u2018must visit\u2019 and easily accessible holiday destination but will also provide visitors with an enhanced understanding of Dubai\u2019s history and culture through smart and convenient platforms. Additionally, the audio tours work in line with Dubai\u2019s \u2018Smart City\u2019 initiative, which aims to streamline and enhance the visitor experience through the provision of innovative digital services.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Supported by GPS technology, the tours use audio narrations to guide visitors through Dubai, automatically progressing from one point of interest to the next in real-time, depending on the user\u2019s location. The pre-recorded audios will be available in Mandarin, while each tour will also be available in text form and accompanied by a map to help with navigation.<\/p>\n

Yousuf Lootah, Executive Director \u2013\u00a0Tourism Development & Investments<\/a>, Dubai Tourism, said: \u201cThe launch of the digital audio tours on \u2018Dubai Mini Assistant\u2019 further supports our ongoing strategy to ensure that Chinese travellers are well equipped to make the most of their stay in Dubai. We have curated a selection of immersive tours that allow them to explore the city independently and our partnership with Tencent enables us to assist them with navigation through accurate content and engagement with local tradition. From historical architecture to Dubai\u2019s remarkable gastronomy and iconic desert landscape, we encourage our Chinese visitors to embark on an adventure of their own to enhance their understanding of the emirate\u2019s history and culture., the audio tours allow easy accessibility to many of the city\u2019s hidden gems across a variety of locations, all via the integrated social platform, WeChat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chinese visitors can choose from 10 tours covering several districts across Dubai, including\u00a0Al Fahidi<\/a>, Bur Dubai and Deira. Each of the self-guided tours are focused on a dedicated theme, primarily highlighting Dubai\u2019s culture, art and heritage through a unique perspective.<\/p>\n

The tours include the Deira Food Tour, inviting travellers to embark on a gastronomic journey to discover the diverse cultures in Dubai. Such a tour has already been created for Deira district, as it embraces the different cultures that have contributed to shaping Dubai as an international city.<\/p>\n

The Dubai Desert Tour offers a taste of the city\u2019s unique desert culture with historical facts along the way as users are invited to explore picturesque landscapes set amidst the city\u2019s sand dunes. This includes an introduction to Dubai\u2019s history; insights into how the desert is an integral part of Emirati and Bedouin life; a discussion about the traditional practices, folklore and activities held in the desert; an overview of the desert\u2019s nature; highlights into the significance of camels (in providing food, transportation, shelter, and camel racing); and a list of various activities that they can enjoy while camping in the desert.<\/p>\n

The Dubai Architecture Tour focuses on panoramic views of Dubai\u2019s iconic skyline, with a focus on the landmarks of Downtown Dubai and how the city\u2019s history led to this incredibly modern landscape.<\/p>\n

The Follow Your Nose sensory tour examines the relationship between the UAE and the art of perfumery, exploring the historic neighbourhood of Deira and its surrounding souks, to the new Perfume House in Shindagha. This tour heavily relies on the sights and smells to highlight the intrinsic cultural element.<\/p>\n

Metro Moments 1 and 2 will enable tourists to explore the emirate\u2019s history as they travel on the Dubai Metro, passing through districts that were once covered by sand. These tours cover the metro route from DXB Terminal 3 to the DMCC Metro Station.<\/p>\n

The Tales of the Past walking tour, from Bur Dubai to Dubai Gold Souk, helps users explore Deira as a neighbourhood that once stood as the hub of the city\u2019s pearl trade and played a key role in advancing the local culture and economy.<\/p>\n

The Al Fahidi Architecture Tour takes visitors through the old neighbourhood of Al Fahidi, helping them explore Dubai\u2019s culture and heritage as well as the Emirati traditional architecture embodied through the collection of sikkas and wind-towers. The walking tour also delves into the city\u2019s maritime past when taking visitors through Dubai Creek.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Dubai Canal<\/a>\u00a0Tour enables tourists to discover beautiful views of the city\u2019s skyline from the\u00a0Dubai Water Canal<\/a>\u00a0and around the coastal landmarks. Part 1 of this tour will travel from Al Jaddaf to Downtown Burj Khalifa areas, themed around both the local history and culture as well as the city\u2019s urban development and architecture.<\/p>\n

Finally, the On the Road to Etihad tour is designed to help users understand what Dubai\u2019s modern history means for its communities. This includes an exploration of how the local history and traditions are reflected in various aspects across the city through its wide range of shops, food, and art.<\/p>\n

In addition to being highly informative, the audio nature of the guides is also designed to assist visually impaired travellers with making the most of their time in the city, forming part of Dubai Tourism\u2019s commitment to the UAE\u2019s \u2018People of Determination Initiative\u2019.<\/p>\n

All digital audio tours are now available via Dubai WeChat Mini Program; \u2018Dubai Mini Assistant\u2019.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Following the success of the first ever City-Experience Mini Program launched by Dubai\u2019s\u00a0Department of Tourism\u00a0and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) in collaboration with WeChat, the programme has been further enhanced with the launch of 10 new digital audio tours which are available for visitors to use while exploring the city. Inviting the users of China\u2019s most […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21317,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.dubaicityguide.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21316","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.dubaicityguide.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.dubaicityguide.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.dubaicityguide.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.dubaicityguide.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21316"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blog.dubaicityguide.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21316\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21318,"href":"https:\/\/blog.dubaicityguide.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21316\/revisions\/21318"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.dubaicityguide.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.dubaicityguide.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21316"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.dubaicityguide.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21316"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.dubaicityguide.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21316"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}