North Korea & Afghanistan Tourism: Exploring the Path Less Traveled with Koryo Tours

North Korea's Tourism Ambitions

• 🇰🇵 North Korea, under Kim Jong-un, is attempting to enter the global tourism market with a new beach resort capable of hosting 20,000 people.
• ⚠️ However, due to the country's closure since early 2020, foreign tourism is extremely limited, with only Russians currently able to visit specific zones.
• 💡 The resort's capacity suggests it was initially designed for South Korean and domestic tourists, a plan now abandoned as relations with South Korea have deteriorated.

Domestic Tourism in North Korea

• 🌱 A growing, albeit nascent, middle class in North Korea shows potential for domestic tourism.
• 👥 North Korean life is largely group-oriented, with tourism incentives often tied to group achievements (e.g., factory units, farmers).
• 🚗 Domestic travel is primarily via group transport like buses, as private car ownership is rare.

Koryo Tours' Adaptation and Diversification

• 📉 Koryo Tours, specializing in North Korean travel since 1993, has significantly downsized due to the prolonged closure of North Korea to international visitors.
• 🌍 The company has diversified its offerings to include destinations like Turkmenistan, Central Asia, remote Russia, and Mongolia to stay afloat.
• ⏳ Koryo Tours is awaiting the reopening of North Korea, its primary specialization, while continuing to field inquiries about when travel will resume.

Tourism in Afghanistan

• 🇦🇫 Despite diplomatic isolation and Taliban rule, Afghanistan is emerging as an unlikely destination for adventurous tourists.
• 💰 The Taliban government sees tourism as a vital economic lifeline, generating revenue through tourist spending on cars, interpreters, and hotels.
• ⚠️ Travel advisories from countries like the UK, US, and Canada remain due to security concerns, exacerbated by incidents like the May 2024 attack on Spanish tourists.
• 📈 Approximately 9,000 foreign tourists visited Afghanistan last year, with 3,000 in the first three months of 2025, facilitated by easier visa processes and flights from hubs like Dubai and Istanbul.

Ethics of Traveling to Restricted Countries

• 🤝 Simon Cockerell argues that tourism dollars do not significantly prop up the North Korean economy, which has improved despite the lack of tourists.
• 💬 He believes that increased interaction with foreigners, even in small ways, can challenge negative perceptions fostered by state propaganda and reduce isolation.
• 🌍 The benefits of people-to-people exchange and firsthand encounters are seen as outweighing the ethical concerns of supporting regimes one ideologically opposes.
• 👩‍🦰 While strict rules apply to Afghan women, foreign women in Afghanistan have more freedom of movement, typically requiring only a headscarf.