According to the report by Xinhua, Italy's island region of Sardinia has launched a strategic tourism project in China aimed at spreading information and increasing appeal among Chinese potential tourists.

China, with its evolving society and growing internal consumer market, represents a great opportunity for the island region, says local councilor for tourism Sebastiano Sannitu.

"More and more Chinese tourists travel around the world and are attracted to new destinations. We would like to increase the number of those who visit our land. Many Chinese couples already choose Sardinia as the best location for their honey-moon."

The program, produced by Shanghai-based television company Rose Wedding Formalities, was followed by 160 million Chinese spectators. Frequent exchange visits have taken place between Sardinia's local authorities and the Chinese producers.

For the promotional tourism project in China, running till December and including various initiatives, the Italian region has allocated about 512,000 euros.

The goal is thus to increase information on the island and spread awareness so that more Chinese people will come to visit. And the best place from where to do this is Shanghai, which will be hosting in May the Universal Expo.

Sardinia's touristic flows last year resisted the general downturn in national trends, with a 1.9 percent increase in arrivals and a higher number of foreign tourists compared to the rest of Italy.