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2017.06.28
| Won | Pyongyang | Sinuiju | Hyesan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exchange Rate | 8,070 | 8,050 | 8,095 |
| Rice Price | 5,800 | 6,000 | 5,900 |
[imText1]The North Korean authorities are working hard to attract foreign tourists to Arirang, the country’s annual mass games held in Pyongyang. This year’s Arirang, which began on July 22nd, features new sections, including more about North Korea’s friendly international relationships and groups of gymnasts carrying olive branches symbolizing peace.
A travel agency based in Dandong, just across the Sino-North Korean border from Sinuiju, told Daily NK on the 2nd, “Officials from the Chosun tourism administration have been visiting since the beginning of July to get us to advertise the games, which will be on until the end of September. It’s quite the turnaround from April, when all tours were halted.”
A second travel agency in the city added, “The North Koreans are asking us to push tours that include the Arirang performance as much as possible. There are other tourist packages where you can visit North Korea via plane or by road, but they want us to actively promote the one that includes Arirang.”
The travel agent added, “They asked us to take people from all around the world. One official told us not to worry about the language issue, since ‘interpreters can be provided in Chosun.’”
However, tourists are not flocking to take up the offer. The first travel agency reported, “If you book the three night-four day package with the games then you’ll pay 3500 Yuan. Compared with a sightseeing tour that’s pretty expensive. More people are asking about tours that do not include the games. A one-day trip to Sinuiju that doesn’t require a visa or a passport is much more popular. It only costs 750 Yuan.”
North Korea’s drive to attract foreign tourists is, as with all other countries’ attempts to draw tourists, intended to bring in hard currency from abroad. The difference is that North Korea is lacking other sources of income. Worse still, since Kim Jong Eun came to power the North Korean authorities have embarked on a number of ruinously expensive national projects, such as the construction of recreational facilities in Pyongyang and a ski resort on the East Sea coast, not to mention a seemingly endless round of Kim Jong Il statue-building.
A diplomatic source close to North Korean affairs commented, "We know that North Korea has been building a lot of hotels and restaurants for foreign tourists in the center of Pyongyang. They are actively promoting Arirang to tourists in China, and at the same time are keen to emphasize Sino-North Korean friendship.”
“They’re killing two birds with one stone: they are earning foreign currency at the same time as disseminating propaganda about their system,” he concluded.
A travel agency based in Dandong, just across the Sino-North Korean border from Sinuiju, told Daily NK on the 2nd, “Officials from the Chosun tourism administration have been visiting since the beginning of July to get us to advertise the games, which will be on until the end of September. It’s quite the turnaround from April, when all tours were halted.”
A second travel agency in the city added, “The North Koreans are asking us to push tours that include the Arirang performance as much as possible. There are other tourist packages where you can visit North Korea via plane or by road, but they want us to actively promote the one that includes Arirang.”
The travel agent added, “They asked us to take people from all around the world. One official told us not to worry about the language issue, since ‘interpreters can be provided in Chosun.’”
However, tourists are not flocking to take up the offer. The first travel agency reported, “If you book the three night-four day package with the games then you’ll pay 3500 Yuan. Compared with a sightseeing tour that’s pretty expensive. More people are asking about tours that do not include the games. A one-day trip to Sinuiju that doesn’t require a visa or a passport is much more popular. It only costs 750 Yuan.”
North Korea’s drive to attract foreign tourists is, as with all other countries’ attempts to draw tourists, intended to bring in hard currency from abroad. The difference is that North Korea is lacking other sources of income. Worse still, since Kim Jong Eun came to power the North Korean authorities have embarked on a number of ruinously expensive national projects, such as the construction of recreational facilities in Pyongyang and a ski resort on the East Sea coast, not to mention a seemingly endless round of Kim Jong Il statue-building.
A diplomatic source close to North Korean affairs commented, "We know that North Korea has been building a lot of hotels and restaurants for foreign tourists in the center of Pyongyang. They are actively promoting Arirang to tourists in China, and at the same time are keen to emphasize Sino-North Korean friendship.”
“They’re killing two birds with one stone: they are earning foreign currency at the same time as disseminating propaganda about their system,” he concluded.
