Shenzhen is transforming weddings into a broader cultural, tourism and consumption experience, creating new opportunities for the city’s economy.

Known as China’s technology hub, the southern metropolis has embraced innovative wedding experiences, including humanoid robots joining wedding parties. Couples can also exchange vows aboard cruise ships, in rural gardens and on scenic mountaintops. More than 31,000 couples from outside Shenzhen have married in the city.

Even marriage registration has become part of the experience, with certificate-presentation venues moved from government offices to scenic locations and city landmarks.

The approach is also generating significant consumer spending. A campaign in Bao’an District ahead of May 20, a popular date for romantic activities and marriage registrations, generated more than 240 million yuan (US$35.6 million) across wedding services, banquets, photography, travel and cultural entertainment.

Around Qixi Festival, Shenzhen is further promoting themed travel routes, honeymoon packages and discounts, as it develops an integrated wedding, tourism, culture, technology and consumption industry.