Chinese tourists to Dubai can now get instant VAT refunds at Dubai Airports via the We Tax Refund on the WeChat Mini Program, launched by Chinese tech giant, Tencent, and international payments service provider, Planet.

With the support of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), the new integrated service provides a seamless and secure way for visitors to instantly claim back their tax on purchases they have made while visiting the emirate, and further supports the Department’s ongoing ‘China Readiness’ strategy to grow and maintain the emirate’s share in a key source market while enhancing holistic experiences of its Chinese guests.

Visitors will receive their tax refunds instantly at the airport via the WeChat app in the local RMB currency and will receive a notification once the refund has been issued.

Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM) said: “Our ongoing mandate is to provide seamless tourist experiences to all our visitors, and our support of key industry partners such as Tencent and Planet allows the city to offer increased ease of travel as we diversify our portfolio of critical touchpoints.”

“Providing innovative and familiar payment solutions, as well as instant VAT refunds before visitors depart is uniquely tailored towards the needs and requirements of Chinese travellers and has been developed taking their valued feedback on board. With the dynamic ‘We Tax Refund’ platform, we hit yet another milestone within our ‘China Readiness’ strategy further strengthening awareness of the emirate as a ‘must-visit’ destination for Chinese travellers,” he added.

The city continues to welcome an increased number of Chinese visitors with positive 12 per cent year-on-year growth and cementing 650,000 Chinese tourists within the first eight months of the year. This sustained growth from one of the emirate’s fasted growing source markets is driven by Dubai Tourism’s increased market penetration, unique in-city experiences, and citywide initiatives to highlight Dubai as a popular and easily accessible holiday destination for Chinese guests. – TradeArabia News Service