50 Chinese couples tie knot in mass wedding in Sri Lanka

Tourism Minister John Amaratunga told Xinhua that this event would help boost Sri Lanka's tourism.

"We hope through this event, many other couples, from other parts of the world, will select Sri Lanka as their wedding destination," Amaratuga said.

The brides and grooms were dressed in typical Sri Lankan wedding attire, traditional Chinese wedding outfits and gowns and tuxedos.

After the traditional dances, the couples were accompanied into heavily-decorated tents where each couple exchanged rings while a holy thread was also tied on their fingers amidst religious chanting.

Wang Yan, a bride who participated in the mass wedding, said that she had learnt of the event through her friends and she was happy to select Sri Lanka as her wedding destination.

"The people here are very friendly and we have been treated so well. Sri Lanka is a beautiful country," she said.

The couples, on Monday, will be taken on a tour of Yala, Sigiriya and Kandy, which are all popular tourist spots in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka has become a popular destination for Chinese tourists with China currently being the second largest market.