Introduction
Tourism in North Korea has received media attention over the past years. For instance Kate McEwen for BBC online news in 2003, and more recently the economist online, reported on holidays of Western tourists in the socialist country. Without doubt travelling to a totalitarian state is not everyone’s idea of a perfect holiday but there seems to be an increasing number of tourists who are interested in visiting North Korea, driven by the prospect of witnessing the last genuine socialist society in the world. The lonely planet…
Essay by Florian Zielke
Master in Tourism Destination Management student 2008/2009
…has included North Korea in its blue list of upcoming destinations and has dedicated an entire chapter to the country, while on the supply side, there has been a growing number of tour operators that offer their services to tourists. On the official website of the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea (PRNK), tourism is promoted as a way to ‘have interaction with North Korean citizens first hand.’ Furthermore, an image film was put on the internet, with the goal to generate more interest in the country as a tourist destination.
These first humble steps to promote tourism are noteworthy. It seems that tourism has gained greater acceptance by the political regime, which used to be notoriously known for its xenophobia. Although the political attitude towards tourism has changed to some degree, there is still a great deal of apprehension that large numbers of tourists will disturb the people’s allegiance to the political party and its principles. Therefore, visa application procedures are still complex and travel within the country highly restricted. Travel itineraries embrace only a number of destinations that are selected and approved by the authorities and tourists are supervised constantly during their stay. Tourists that are found astray face serious repercussions in form of interrogation and temporary arrest. Even the taking of pictures is regulated and limited to certain kinds of motives. Due to the tight control by the government, tourists find themselves in an artificial bubble, with little opportunity to get in touch with the ‘real’ life in North Korea. It is a staged experience that is focused on conveying an image to the tourist that is in line with the regime’s ideology. However, this does not necessarily imply that tourists are unsatisfied with their trip as the political system is an essential part of their ‘holiday experience.’
But is it appropriate and just to travel to a country in which the ruling party is alleged to systematically abuse human rights and to have failed repeatedly to feed its own people? Without doubt this is a normative question and there are several arguments for and against visiting countries with totalitarian regimes. On the one hand, it could be argued that the complete isolation of a country does not improve the situation of its people. Tourism could be seen as a mean to help the oppressed people in economic terms but also in form of personal contact and information exchange. On the other hand, it should be kept in mind that the gross of the economic benefits gained from tourism go to the regime, fostering the very ills of the country. Moreover, from a political perspective, the inflow of tourists leads to the assumption that the actions of the leadership are accepted by the international community. In the case of North Korea it seems less appropriate to engage in tourism activities. The tight security measures eradicate the possibility of doing any good to the country’s people in terms of financial and personal help. The current system ensures that all economic benefits that are derived from tourism go into the pockets of the regime. Maybe this will change over the years but till then tourists should resist their urge to visit the last true socialist society in the world.
On a final note, I would like to stress that there are countries with totalitarian regimes that already have successfully managed to establish themselves as tourism destinations including Cuba, Myanmar (Burma) and Dubai. Many tourists are lured into a destination by its attractions and easily forget about the political situation and circumstances within the countries. However, this is an aspect that should be worth considering for every tourist.
Recent Comments