Meanwhile, the mobile app would provide tourist maps, information on available discounts, offers from local museums and theaters, and notifications about special events being held in the area.
According to Izvestia newspaper, the card will be freely available to any applicant up to 30 years old.
The initiative was launched by the Russian Civic Chamber’s Committee on Public Diplomacy and the Russian Youth Union, with the first issue of the card being scheduled for September.
The committee’s chairman Elena Sutormina said that the program is in fact based on a European model.
"We have a foreign partner in this venture – the European Youth Card Association. Therefore, these discounts will be available for our cardholders not just in Russia, but in Europe as well," she said.
Sutormina also added that discussing the new discounts with representatives of Russian Railways and several airlines is the first order of business because travel expenses currently put the biggest dent in young tourists' budget.
The program’s architects expressed hope that the new card and mobile app will hopefully help promote domestic tourism and help young travelers explore the farthest reaches of Russia.
