- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
- December 2007
- November 2007
- October 2007
- September 2007
- August 2007
- July 2007
- June 2007
- May 2007
- April 2007
Comments (0)
Print
Save/Share
"The spotlight thrown on North Korea during the funeral and transition have made the phone ring here," said Bruce Lazarus, vice president of marketing for New York-based Remote Lands. "People are more curious than ever and we have received a few new bookings for this summer."
Walter Keats, president of Chicago-based Asia Pacifica Travel Ltd., which has been bringing clients to North Korea since 1995, concurred that people are more interested in traveling to North Korea in the aftermath of the the long-time dictator's death.
When Kim Jong Il, who had ruled North Korea since 1994, died on Dec. 18, and power was transferred to his youngest son Kim Jong Un, numerous questions surfaced about whether the transition would pave the way for improved relations between the U.S. and North Korea, as well as between North Korea and South Korea.
Initially, there was a great deal of uncertainty following Kim Jong Il’s death and whether it would lead to instability in the region.
If anything, according to Keats, the transition is likely a positive. "Whenever you have a leadership change, there is a potential for some kind of change," he said. "We’ll see what happens in the future."
The diplomatic struggles with North Korea have made it a difficult sell for most mainstream travelers. According to Keats, only several hundred Americans venture to the country each year.
But there is hope that 2012 will bring renewed interest. Not just because of the transfer of power, but also because April 15, 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the birthday of Kim Il Sung, the former leader of North Korea and father of Kim Jong Il. The country is gearing up for massive celebrations, and several companies are offering packages to North Korea for the event, including Asia Pacific Travel, Canadian operator Bestway Tours & Safaris and Beijing-based Koryo Tours.
Keats assures that the experience of traveling to the tightly controlled country has greatly improved over the years. He said that the North Koreans are now "much more flexible, more accommodating, they’re less worried that we're all spies."
More from Budget Travel:
North Korea welcoming U.S. tourists year-round
User reviews and comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions.
