China-DPRK tourism on the rise

People travelling to Hunchun, a Chinese frontier city bordering both Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, can now receive their visa to the DPRK in an hour. The only thing needed is their personal identity card.

As the exit-entry department of Northeast China's Jilin province announced, visas can also be issued in advance if application documents are handed to the government through the Jilin Internet and Public Security platform.

Ren Wanxue, deputy director of the Tourism and Service Promotion Office of Hunchun, said the office has designed new tourist products for DPRK.

As Japan's Asahi Shimbun reported, China-DPRK cooperation in the field of tourism is being strengthened, with one-day tours to the DPRK well-received in Hunchun.

The one-day tour was launched on July 10. Visitors cross the DPRK border by bus, and return in a few hours after enjoying seafood at tourist facilities and buying local specialties.

Asahi Shimbun cited a visitor who said the seafood is fresh, delicious and cheap in the DPRK.

The half-day and one-day tours in Sinuiju, DPRK, were booked up just an hour after they went on sale, according to a tour agency.

"Many people may have wanted to visit DPRK for a long time, and might think it is safer to go now than ever before," Reuters reported, citing a tour guide who had just finished a one-day tour.

Reuters reported that because of sanctions, tourism is one of the few reliable sources of foreign income for the DPRK.

The Korean Ocean Research and Development Institute, a think-tank located in the Republic of Korea, estimated tourism generates $44 million a year in revenue for DPRK, with Chinese tourists accounting for about 80 percent of foreign visitors to the country.