Chinese travel agencies are accelerating the development of North Korean tour packages utilizing air, land and sea links.
Chosun Central New Agency (KCNA) revealed news of a group from Dalian arriving in Pyongyang en route to Mt. Geumgang on the 2nd. According to the report, the tour will also take in Kaesong, another location formerly served by a South Korean tour company.
Chinese travel agencies have also already launched 5-day trips from Shenyang to Pyongyang by plane and from Yanji primarily by ferry, while EGL Tours, a travel agency based in Hong Kong, is also selling a package going north to Dalian on Air China then through Dandong and Shinuiju to Pyongyang.
A tourist train operated by the Chinese state railway from Dandong to Shinuiju is also apparently attracting many tourists. One Chinese newspaper reported on the 3rd that the one-day train tour is very popular.
According to the newspaper, the train leaves at 10AM on Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday from June to November. Riders take in a traditional park, art museum and history museum in Shinuiju for the day, before returning across the bridge to Dandong.
On October 1st and 2nd, nearly 500 people took the train to Shinuiju to enjoy the tour, according to the article.
