A total of 55 couples from a dozen inland provinces and regions arrived at Gonggar Airport in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China, Tuesday.

Together with another 44 couples from Tibet, they will be married in a mass ceremony on Friday on the bank of Namco Lake.

As a part of a series of promotional activities to publicize "sacred" Tibet and scenic Namco Lake, the Tibetan tourism department launched a tourism package which includes a trip to Tibet and a grand wedding ceremony.

A total of 99 couples were chosen for the launch of the program.

Namco Lake, at an altitude of 4,718 meters, is the highest lakein the world. In 2002, more than 25,000 tourists from all over theworld visited the lake.
 
(People's Daily   Aug 20, 2003)