The announcement that Spring Airlines has abandoned plans to run regular budget flights from Shanghai to Pyongyang came as no great surprise.
I, like many others involved in the DPRK tourism industry, never seriously believed the venture would come to fruition. Why it failed is unknown, but the new sanctions, limitations on freedom of movement and the general hassle of dealing with North Korean officialdom all must have played a part.
While it would be easy to see this event in a purely negative light, I don’t think it makes a great deal of difference. All it did was confirm that what we have available to us now is what we will need to use to grow tourism in the DPRK, and while the challenges we have always faced are still there, there are still many reasons to be optimistic.
while the challenges we have always faced are still there, there are still many reasons to be optimistic
The main issues facing western companies bringing in tourists to North Korea haven’t changed, mainly being problems with capacity and infrastructure. I previously wrote that without more planes the North Korean tourists industry would stagnate, with big anniversaries and celebrations essentially creating bottle-necks.
While this problem hasn’t gone away completely, the recent lack of huge events, such as mass games, has helped to spread visitor numbers more evenly over the year. For Young Pioneer Tours, our 2016 numbers are up on previous years, and though numbers for some other companies have dropped a little, for others it has remained steady.
For the next point of optimism I have to give our DPRK partners full credit. The lack of anniversaries, or “big events” such as the Arirang Mass Games has actually led to a lot more innovation both initiated from Pyongyang, and a greater willingness to accept new ideas from western companies.
An example of this is the Taedongang Beer Festival, which runs throughout August. Although the idea of hosting a beer festival has often been suggested to our local partners, the idea of holding it on a boat cruising the Taedong river was entirely the inspiration of our Korean partners.
There are many other examples of this new creative spirit, including cycling tours, surfing and the Wonsan Air Show that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago. It’s exciting to imagine what new experiences will be offered in the near future.
Another cause for optimism has been the DPRK embracing non-political events and activities that not only show the country in a “normal” light, but more importantly for us in the industry bring huge numbers into the country. The prime example of this is the Mangyongdae Pyongyang Marathon, which this year attracted more than 1,100 foreign participants.
Another cause for optimism has been the DPRK embracing non-political events and activities that not only show the country in a “normal” light
Other good examples of this are things such as the Pyongyang Film Festival, where the organizers are now reaching out to more companies to increase both visitor numbers and variety of contributors.
In the past North Korea had a fairly justified reputation for being rigid and uncompromising, but for those of us organising travel into the country recent times have seen an almost mini perestroika. It is a good time to be planning and implementing new tours.
It’s hard to say what has led to this new spirit of innovation from the side of the Koreans, but personally I feel it is related to the Korean way of doing business, which puts pragmatism above all else.
The North Korean state tour agency | Picture: NK News
While numbers of westerners this year have remained constant, the number of Chinese visitors has dropped dramatically. Korean tour guides for Chinese in Pyongyang have had very little to do, and some of the deals now offered for Chinese people are some of the cheapest ever seen. This lack of Chinese guests has led to more being offered to western visitors to keep the industry afloat.
While numbers of westerners this year have remained constant, the number of Chinese visitors has dropped dramatically
This kind of pragmatism has been seen before, with a primary example being with day trips to Sinuiju. For many years they were only for Chinese nationals, although many companies tried to negotiate its opening up, with its eventual opening only happening because China banned tourists during the missile crisis of 2013. Initially they did this under an exclusively arrangement, but once again showing their pragmatism it was opened to all companies when they realized restricting it to one company would restrict their own numbers. An increase in the importance given to us as western guests has resulted in more flexibility for us to do our job better.
The problems we have always had have not gone anywhere, there are still capacity issues, there have been tourists detained, and sanctions will always put some people off the country, but the allure that has always driven people to visit North Korea is still stronger than ever, and if we as operators are allowed to continue to innovate, and the DPRK continues to provide all companies with equal access to new events, I see no reason not to be optimistic about the prospects of growth in the industry.
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