"It's the first time that Chinese and foreign visitors can also apply for such a card with big tourism benefits," said Chen Lingchun, deputy chief of Yangzhou's tourism bureau, at a press conference held on Sept 24.

There will be two versions of the new card available to visitors. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Visitors can purchase the card at service outlets of Yangzhou Citizen Card Co, or they can buy the card via the company's WeChat account and activate it when visiting a tourist spot.

The move is designed to encourage more tourists to visit Yangzhou repeatedly.

"Now even visitors can apply for the card and I'm willing to come back and visit Yangzhou again," a British visitor, Owen, told China Daily.

The city also plans to improve the tourism card's e-wallet feature to enable visitors to pay for their living and transportation costs in Yangzhou. It is hoped that this will lead to visitors staying in Yangzhou for longer periods rather than coming just for a short sightseeing tour.

This would also promote the development of service industries related to tourism as visitors spend more during their visits to the city.