Colombo, Nov 29 (IANS): One hundred Chinese couples will visit Sri Lanka next month to take part in a mass wedding in the island country, Sri Lanka's Megapolis and Western Development Ministry announced on Wednesday.

The Ministry said the event, the first of its kind in Sri Lanka, was expected to further increase ties between Sri Lanka and China, reports Xinhua news agency.

The mass wedding would be held on December 17 in Colombo under the patronage of President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Some 400 guests will attend.

Tourism Minister John Amaratunga told reporters that the event will help promote the island nation as an ideal wedding destination.

The mass wedding will be followed by a Sri Lanka-China food festival at a luxury resort in Colombo. Leading chefs from both China and Sri Lanka will take part in the festival.

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

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