Seamless travel using smart cards will be a boon for tourism in the city. However, it will take off only after several Metro and Monorail lines are functional. Consultants KPMG said foreign and Indian tourists won't travel in overcrowded suburban trains and buses initially. They will use it often only after air-conditioned travel on the metro and monorail becomes a reality.

Transport consultants said that smart cards in the form of a daily or weekly pass are common in London, New York and Paris and are very popular with tourists. Such smart cards will be made available to tourists to travel on any mode of transport-buses, trains, Metro and Monorail and also waterways and private taxis-in the near future, sources said.

As per a report in TOI, the BEST too plans to woo tourists in future by introducing GPRS facilities in all its AC buses, which will provide real-time information about places of tourist interest, restaurants, kiosks, art galleries and heritage structures two minutes before a tourist alights at a bus stop. Said an official, "Our main control room will transfer data to a particular bus over the GPRS based on the location of the bus. For example, if the bus passes through Regal Cinema, the tourist will get information about art galleries (Jehangir Art Gallery), three and five star hotels in the neighbourhood, Gateway of India/ Elephanta Caves, eateries like Leopold, Delhi Darbar and Mc Donalds."

Such services will also be provided through Bluetooth at Metro/Monorail railway stations, sources said.