UK tourists show new interest in North Korea

    | Beverley Fearis

    Travel companies are seeing a rise in interest in trips to North Korea following the death of its leader Kim Jong Il.

    Tour operators say they have seen an increase in the number of bookings and enquiries since images of his funeral were beamed around the world at the end of last year.

    Regent Holidays, which started selling tours to North Korea 25 years ago, said the numbers of Western tourists travelling to the country remain very small, but confirmed there has been a recent surge in interest.

    The company is one of the few tour operators offering tours to North Korea, which is regarded one of the world's most closed societies.

    Regent Holidays Tours Manager Carl Meadows said the destination generally appeals to travellers between middle age and early retirement, who are interested in visiting more unusual places and experiencing a different culture. The majority visit as part of a guided tour.

    “It’s a closed country and it’s impossible to do a completely independent trip,” he said. “Even if you go as an individual, it’s compulsory to have guides so it can be very expensive.”

    Accommodation is generally in three-star hotels and can be basic when you travel beyond the capital of Pyongyang.

    Meadows said North Korea can seem expensive, compared to other destinations, but visitors need to realise that holiday prices are all-inclusive.

    An eight-night package, starting and finishing in Beijing, including accommodation, all tours, and all meals, starts at £1345 per person based on two sharing a twin room. Flights from London to Beijing cost between £500 and £900.

    British nationals must have a visa and this can take six to eight weeks to be approved. There is no indication that visa restrictions will be lifted by Kim Jong Il's successor, his son Kim Jong-un.

    Photograph: Istockphoto.com. Photo shows the 105-storey Ryugyong building in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea. Originally intended as a hotel, delays meant the exterior of the building took 21 years to complete. Work on the interior is ongoing.