Wendy Zhang/ Shanghai Daily news

Overseas travel agencies are betting on wedding or honeymoon tours to attract Chinese tourists, according to the World Trade Fair 2005 in Shanghai yesterday.
With the peak marriage season arriving in China, tours with a marriage theme are expected to be a hit with Chinese tourists.
A group wedding of Chinese newlyweds will be held in May in the Pyramids in Egypt for the first time. From May to August, a total of 500 Chinese newlyweds will hold their weddings in Egypt. Unlike ordinary Egyptian tours, different styles of weddings can be selected, said an industry analyst.
Tsunami-hit Southeast Asian countries are expecting to use wedding tours to help regain their share of the tourism market.
Next month, a honeymoon tour will head to Thailand following traditional itineraries, said Zhou Yangyuan, chief representative with the Beijing office of the Thailand Tourism Bureau.
According to the China International Travel Service, the number of travelers to a destination usually increases by 30 percent within three months after a wedding tour is offered there.
A wedding tour is the most efficient way to boost tourism in a short term, said an expert.