North Korea warms up, gets ‘friendly’ with overhauled tourism portal

NORTH KOREA, the most hermit kingdom in the world, wants you to visit them with “a friendly feeling”.

In the past, the handful of travelers who have had the opportunity to visit the mysterious “enemy of the South” have described it to be secretive, to say the least.

Foreigners are strictly forbidden from interacting with the locals. Tours must be guided by government-sanctioned private tour operators with state-trained guides. No choice of accommodations or meals will be given because everything has already been decided for you.

Tourists have traditionally been restricted to Pyongyang and straying away from the group or wandering around the hotel after hours may land you in trouble.

“Many of the sites we visited and interactions we had were blatantly staged. At times, the country’s attempts at portraying perfection were so contrived, it was comical. At other times, the fakery was just downright unsettling,” wrote Observer’s Erick Tseng in 8 Days in North Korea: Welcome to the World’s Most Isolated Civilization.

Two 66-foot tall bronze statues of late supreme North Korean leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il at The Grand Monument on Mansu Hill in Pyongyang, North Korea. Source: Shutterstock.

The above reasons and other controversial issues – the ongoing fear-inducing conflict between the North and the South, the untimely death of detained American tourist Otto Warmbier, the assassination of Kim Jong Nam in Malaysia, the back and forth banter between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un – have contributed to a drop in tourism numbers.

“Tourism numbers are down from the last three or four years for sure,” NK News quoted Beijing-based Koryo Tours General Manager Simon Cockerell as saying, adding that the upcoming April Pyongyang marathon would likely see a 50 percent drop compared to last year’s intake.

However, Cockerell also said tourist interest in the hermit kingdom has “(recently) been improving”.

Responding to what it claims has been a “rapid increase” in demands for tours within the hermit kingdom, the National Tourism Administration’s (NTA) tourism portal was overhauled and launched last Friday.

On the site, the NTA says it seeks to “provide excellent services for all people who hope to visit the country with a friendly feeling”. The site now includes a list of tourist sites, festivals and events, travel news, itineraries, photos, and videos.

“The DPRK tour industry has been developing afresh under the wise leadership of Supreme leader Kim Jong Un,” the website claims.

National Tourism Administration’s new tourism portal. Source: tourismdprk.gov.kp.

Unlike the average North Korean tour offered by companies like Koryo Tours, Young Pioneer Tours, Juche Travel Services, and Uri Tours, the NTA portal appears to be focused on pushing niche, experience-themed itineraries such as mountain climbing, taekwondo, train travel, surfing, mountain marathon, architecture, aviation, and more.

Interestingly, one of the themed tours is labor-themed, supposedly allowing visitors to get “immersed in different labor life – manual rice-planting, weeding and fruit picking at the co-op farms or orchards in the country”.

Countryside scene in the northern part of North Korea. Source: Shutterstock.

It’s also important to note that North Korea has relaxed mobile phone/connectivity restrictions for tourists.

There was a time when travelers had to leave their cell phones in China or check their phones at Pyongyang International Airport.

These days, you can bring your mobile phone, buy a Koryolink (North Korea’s only 3G mobile operator) SIM card at Pyongyang International Airport, and stay connected during your trip.

Mirae Scientists street is a newly developed area designed to emphasize Kim Jong Un’s focus on science and technology, built around the regime’s nuclear weapons development. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

One thing hasn’t changed much though: There aren’t that many nationalities in the world are visa-exempted from North Korea, and there aren’t that many places in the world that offer transportation (be it by plane or train) into North Korea.

As of April 2017, only holders of diplomatic or service passports issued to nationals of the following countries can visit North Korea without a visa:

• Albania
• Belarus
• Bulgaria
• China
• Cuba
• Indonesia
• Iran
• Kyrgyzstan
• Laos
• Mongolia
• Montenegro
• Myanmar
• Russia
• Serbia
• Switzerland
• Syria
• Tajikistan
• Ukraine
• Vietnam
• Zimbabwe

All other visitors traveling for tourism require an authorization from a North Korean travel agency, before entering Pyeongyang from either China or Russia, by plane or train.

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Source: travelwireasia.com