Hangzhou Tourism and Culture is giving away one million travel gift packs in time for this year's Asian Games ©Hangzhou Tourism and Culture

Hangzhou has announced it is giving away one million gift packs offering a potential variety of travel benefits for visitors to this year’s re-arranged Asian Games and Asian Para Games.

Each gift pack is set to include a seven-day free Hangzhou subway pass, free tickets to tourist attractions, and a prepaid phone card worth RMB100 (£11/$14/€13).

Participants also have the opportunity to win 100,000 free tickets to the Asian Games in the initiative launched by Government agency Hangzhou Tourism and Culture.

Overseas visitors may sign up through the official website of Hangzhou Tourism and Culture.

Winners will later be notified through email.

Historic Hangzhou is now one of China's most technologically advanced cities ©Getty Images
Historic Hangzhou is now one of China's most technologically advanced cities ©Getty Images

When they come to Hangzhou, they can activate the benefits by downloading the Alipay app to get the Asian Games One Pass QR code for free passes to subway and tourist attractions.

The global initiative aims to enhance tourists’ experience during the 2022 Asian Games and Para Games, originally due to take place last year but postponed for 12 months due to the tough COVID-19 protocols in China. 

The Asian Games are due to open on September 23 and conclude on October 8.

They are set to be followed by the Asian Para Games scheduled for October 22 until 28.

Hangzhou, the second biggest city in Yangtze Delta after Shanghai with a population of nearly 12 million, is an ancient capital of stunning natural beauty and historical heritage.

The city is also known as a national leader for socio-economic development and a hub of digital technology innovation.

Chinese mainland users may enter the digital lottery for the gift pack by searching "Asian Games" in the Alipay app and clicking into "One Pass" in the Smart Hangzhou 2022 mini programme, or through the Hangzhou Residents app and Discover Hangzhou mini programme.

The "Smart Hangzhou 2022" mini programme is the first one-stop digital service platform for international visitors.

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The "Smart Hangzhou 2022" app has been launched for international visitors attending the Asian Games ©Hangzhou 2022

Together with the gift packs, it is promising to provide global visitors to Hangzhou with an all-in-one digital service experience for dining, transportation, travelling, sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment.

The gift packs will be given away in three lotteries.

The first batch of 400,000 gift packs are already open for application with the lottery due to last until June 10.

The second batch of 200,000 gift packs is scheduled to open for application from August 1 to August 10.

The application for the last batch of 400,000 gift packs is due to be open from October 10 to October 20.