Pyongyang [North Korea], August 15: A Beijing-based travel agency said international tourism to North Korea will resume in December, after a nearly five-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Yonhap.
"We have received confirmation from our local partner that tourism to Samjiyon and potentially the rest of the country will officially resume in December," according to Koryo Tours.
The town of Samjiyon near North Korea's mountainous northern border with China is the gateway city to Mount Paektu, the birthplace of late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.
His son and successor, leader Kim Jong-un, has poured huge resources into developing the area, with major projects including new apartments, hotels and ski resorts.
KTG Tours, also based in China, said on its Facebook page that it had received notice that "tourists will be able to visit Samjiyon this winter."
"The exact date is to be confirmed. So far only Samjiyon is officially confirmed but we think Pyongyang and other places will also open," according to KTG Tours.
North Korea closed its borders in early 2020 as a precaution against Covid-19. But signs of reopening began in the second half of 2023, with the resumption of international flights allowing stranded citizens to return.
A group of Russian tourists visited North Korea in February 2024, at a time when relations between Moscow and Pyongyang were strengthening.
Before the pandemic, tourism to North Korea was limited, with tour operators saying that about 5,000 Western tourists visited the country each year.
US citizens accounted for about 20 percent of the tourism market in North Korea, before Washington banned tourism following the detention of American student Otto Warmbier.
Koryo Tours said that after a nearly five-year hiatus, resuming tourism in North Korea could face some challenges.
"For those hoping to join one of the early tours, we want to stress that things may be a little more chaotic than usual," the company said in a statement, according to AFP.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper