May 29, 2007
Tourism in North Korea & happy Memorial Day
Here's a rare topic for you, the travel appeal (and lack thereof) of North Korea. It talks about how fewer and fewer Chinese tourists are visiting Kim Jong Il's Hermit Kingdom although that does give it a certain appeal to travelers who want to do something different:
A Chinese travel agent says North Korea’s poverty is part of its off-beat appeal. If North Korea were to become richer, she says, it would lose its competitive tourism advantage. Not that it is a huge draw, even when it does welcome tourists. The Arirang performance, originally due to last for a month, ended several days early because of insufficient paying visitors.I personally found this comment kind of funny because my wife was harassed by police in Beijing when trying to take a picture in Tieneman Square: "Chinese tourists are given warning, before leaving, to avoid commenting on North Korean politics and to be careful where they point their cameras. China was once as prickly."
China still can be somewhat prickly (as my wife learned in Beijing), but certainly not like North Korea. I remember watching a documentary on travel in North Korea a year ago where a British guy (after leaving North Korea) was cursing because he'd just spent a week in prison for asking why Kim Jong Il was chubby when all his people are so skinny.
He was probably lucky it was only a week. And I guess he got that unique travel experience he was after.
With Memorial Day coming up it reminds us to appreciate the sacrifices of US military. My grandfathers and some of my current friends have served and while some people complain about different militray actions or strategies we can at least all be grateful that we don't have to worry about a lot of the things that people in North Korea worry about.
Posted by James Trotta at May 29, 2007 12:34 PM | TrackBack