A discount card for visitors to Oxford has being relaunched in a bid to boost tourism.

The Oxford visitor discount card, originally launched in 2005 by Visit Oxford and World City Solutions in association with VisitBritain, has been given a new look and website.

It is hoped the website will encourage more businesses to sign up to the scheme, and provide further information for card users.

The visitor card offers money-saving deals on eating out and city attractions.

The card scheme is open to any local business and is free to join. So far, 40 businesses have signed up.

The cards cost £3, are valid for three weeks and are available from the Oxford Tourist Information Centre. in Broad Street, the Enjoy England website www.enjoyenglanddirect.com and www.visitorcards.co.uk Oxford City Council tourism officer Suzanne Lockhart said: "The visitor card is a great development for tourism in Oxford and provides visitors with a wide choice of activities to enhance their stay in the city.

"The card has some fantastic offers and is a great product for all visitors to the city. The card also fits well with our strategic aim of encouraging visitors to stay longer in the area."

Martin Dolby, commercial manager for World City Solutions and head of the visitor card scheme, said: "I am delighted with the new look and website for the Visitor Card in Oxford and am pleased to have the card scheme endorsed by VisitBritain.

"The card offers such great deals and the new website helps in getting the message across effectively.

"The new website will inform visitors, market local businesses and help ensure the scheme is a commercial success."

World City Solutions also run the Cambridge visitor card scheme, and are launching other cards in Bath and Brighton. Tourism is worth £410m a year to the local economy.

In 2003 the tourism information centre moved from Gloucester Green to its new location, attracting 100,000 visitors in its first year. Moving the centre to a more prominent site was an important part of the council's strategy to persuade visitors to stay in the city longer.

Visitor numbers, particularly from the United States, fell after the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, but are now beginning to climb again.