Chandigarh, Here comes a card that will help visitors have a smooth ride in India's first planned city, be it at tourist destinations or in buses, shops and hotels.

The Chandigarh City Card, to be launched on World Tourism Day Sep 27, will enable visitors to enjoy discounts and other facilities as part of a unique initiative to promote tourism in this city designed by the famous French architect Le Corbusier.

"The city card will cost Rs.100 each and will be valid for one person for three days from the date of purchase. It will entitle the card holder to avail himself of various discounts at the city's tourist destinations and at select hotels, restaurants and shops," Vivek Atray, director of tourism, told IANS.

"The card holder can enjoy free entry into prominent tourist places like the Rock Garden and the Chandigarh Natural History Museum and can enjoy a ride in an open-air bus," Atray said.

"This card will enable tourists to get special discounts at Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation (CITCO) restaurants and hotels," he added.

"Certain private sector hotels and restaurants will also provide special discounts to the visitors. Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) buses will also provide free rides to the holder of the card, subject to conditions," said a senior official of the tourism department.

He added that city residents and outstation tourists can buy these prepaid tourist cards from any of the tourist information centres or from any major tourist destination in the city.

"These prepaid tourist cards are very common in various European and American nations. I believe the launch of such a card in the city would definitely boost the prospects of tourism here. These cards will also keep a check on unscrupulous people who usually overcharge tourists," said Atray.

The card is part of the tourism action plan 2008-09 aimed at enhancing the tourism potential of this union territory. Nearly one million tourists visited Chandigarh in 2007.

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