A grand wedding ceremony marrying 99 young couples will be staged at the highest lake in the world, in Tibet autonomous region on August 19.

The ceremonial marriage, one of the special activities organized by the Tibet Autonomous Regional Tourism Bureau, will goahead as scheduled at the Nam Co Lake, 4,718 meters above sea level.

An official with the regional tourism bureau said that more than 70 couples had applied to participate in the wedding ceremonyso far.

Nam Co Lake, 240 km northwest of Lhasa, the regional capital, has a water space of 1,940 km. The lake is very popular with tourists for its picturesque landscape and long history of religious culture.

A total of 25,000 tourists visited the lake last year alone.

The wedding ceremony will coincide with the Nam Co Lake Encircling Festival, which takes place once every 12 years, when tens of thousands of Buddhist believers pay homage to the lake andrecite holy scriptures by encircling the lake.