The FINANCIAL -- The observation deck of the world's tallest tower in Dubai has unexpectedly shut down, a little more than a month its opening, the tower's owner said.

Burj Khalifa, formerly Burj Dubai and renamed after the president of the United Arab Emirates, opened on January 4, Reuters reports. "Due to unexpected high traffic, the observation deck experience at the Burj Khalifa, At The Top, has been temporarily closed for maintenance and upgrade," a Burj Khalifa spokeswoman said.

"Technical issues with the power supply are being worked on by the main and sub-contractors," she said, adding it was not clear when the tower would reopen, according to the same source.

The indefinite closure of the $1.5bn skyscraper on Sunday comes as Dubai struggles to revive its international image as a cutting-edge Arab metropolis amid nagging questions about its financial health, AL Jazeera reports. The Gulf emirate had hoped the 828m high Burj Khalifa would be a major stimulant to boost its tourism economy.
 
In recent weeks, thousands of tourists have lined up to buy tickets for viewing times often days in advance that cost more than $27 each - or $110 for a queue-jump pass, according to the same source. But the closure will now prevent those tourists gaining entry to the observation deck and casts doubt over plans to welcome its first permanent occupants in the coming weeks.

The spokesperson didn't say when the observation deck, which is located on the 124th floor of the building, will reopen to the public, The Wall Street Journal reports. "Guests who hold valid tickets to the experience will be offered the option to rebook or receive an immediate refund," they said.

Agents were accepting bookings for next week, though there has been no confirmation the tower will reopen then, according to AL Jazeera. Tourists affected by the closure are being offered the chance to rebook or receive refunds.

The shutdown comes at a sensitive time for Dubai, facing a slump in tourism - which accounts for nearly a fifth of the local economy - while fending off negative publicity caused by more than $80 billion in debt it is struggling to repay, the same source reports. "It was the one thing I really wanted to see," one Slovenian tourist said. "The tower was projected as a metaphor for Dubai. So the metaphor should work. There are no excuses."

AOL News informs that designed by the Chicago architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, the 2,717-foot skyscraper features 49 floors to accommodate office space, 1,044 apartments and a full-service hotel.

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