Latest news with #touristresort
Daily Mail
18-07-2025
- Daily Mail
North Korea bans foreign tourists from new beach resort
North Korea has unexpectedly barred foreign tourists from entering its newly opened holiday resort, just weeks after promoting the seaside retreat as a 'world-class tourist and cultural destination.' The abrupt reversal comes only days after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited the site on July 12, where he was hosted by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un , who described Lavrov as the resort's 'first foreign guest.' North Korea's official tourism website, DRP Korea Tour, announced on Wednesday that foreign visitors are 'temporarily not accepted,' at the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Area, without providing a reason for the restriction. The resort, located on the country's east coast near an airport in Kangwon Region, officially opened its doors on June 24 following years of delays caused by international sanctions and the Covid-19 pandemic. Initially slated to open in April 2019 to coincide with the birthday of North Korea's founding leader Kim Il Sung, the resort was envisioned as a major boost to the nation's struggling tourism industry. North Korean state media has described the development as a 'national treasure-level city' and one of the regime's greatest accomplishments of the year. Stretching along 2.5miles of white-sand coastline, the complex is reportedly capable of accommodating up to 20,000 visitors and features over 40 hotels, guesthouses, and leisure facilities modeled after those found in international beach destinations. When the resort was first opened, Kim was photographed standing on a sandy beach alongside his daughter and presumed heir Kim Ju Ae. But despite the fanfare surrounding the launch, and initial reports of domestic visitors enjoying the amenities, analysts and satellite imagery suggest the resort may not yet be fully operational. The US-based 38 North programme reported that several buildings, including a major hotel near the Kalmaegi Hotel, appear to be unfinished or inactive, with one rooftop pool still empty and unnamed buildings missing from official maps. The temporary closure to foreign guests raises questions about the resorts readiness and Pyongyang's strategy for promoting international tourism. Russia remains the only country whose citizens have been permitted entry since North Korea relaxed its pandemic-era border restrictions. A Russian travel agency had reportedly scheduled two additional group tours for August. During Lavrov's visit, Russian media praised the resort's facilities, though a reporter from Kommersant observed that the beach appeared largely deserted. A separate Russian media report claimed that local North Koreans were used to simulate tourist activity during the visit. Tourism represents a rare and vulnerable source of foreign currency for North Korea, which remains under heavy international sanctions. Experts suggest the current ban on foreign visitors is likely to last if Pyogyang hopes to recoup the costs of the high-profile project. 'If foreign tourists aren't allowed to the site, Russian rubles, Chinese yuans and dollars won't come in. Then, North Korea can't break even and it has to shut down the resort,' said Ahn Chan Il, head of the World Institute for North Korean Studies think tank in Seoul. The North Korean government has provided no official explanation for the sudden policy shift. However, some analysts believe the move reflects lingering construction issues or concerns about appearances should foreign visitors witness conditions that fall short of state media's portrayal.
Daily Mail
18-07-2025
- Daily Mail
North Korea BANS foreign tourists from its glitzy new beach resort - just weeks after hailing it as a 'world-class' holiday haven
North Korea has unexpectedly barred foreign tourists from entering its newly opened holiday resort, just weeks after promoting the seaside retreat as a 'world-class tourist and cultural destination.' The abrupt reversal comes only days after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov visited the site on July 12, where he was hosted by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who described Lavrov as the resort's 'first foreign guest.' North Korea's official tourism website, DRP Korea Tour, announced on Wednesday that foreign visitors are 'temporarily not accepted,' at the Wonsan-Kalma Coastal Tourist Area, without providing a reason for the restriction. The resort, located on the country's east coast near an airport in Kangwon Region, officially opened its doors on June 24 following years of delays caused by international sanctions and the Covid-19 pandemic. Initially slated to open in April 2019 to coincide with the birthday of North Korea's founding leader Kim Il Sung, the resort was envisioned as a major boost to the nation's struggling tourism industry. North Korean state media has described the development as a 'national treasure-level city' and one of the regime's greatest accomplishments of the year. Stretching along 2.5miles of white-sand coastline, the complex is reportedly capable of accommodating up to 20,000 visitors and features over 40 hotels, guesthouses, and leisure facilities modeled after those found in international beach destinations. When the resort was first opened, Kim was photographed standing on a sandy beach alongside his daughter and presumed heir Kim Ju Ae. But despite the fanfare surrounding the launch, and initial reports of domestic visitors enjoying the amenities, analysts and satellite imagery suggest the resort may not yet be fully operational. The US-based 38 North programme reported that several buildings, including a major hotel near the Kalmaegi Hotel, appear to be unfinished or inactive, with one rooftop pool still empty and unnamed buildings missing from official maps. The temporary closure to foreign guests raises questions about the resorts readiness and Pyongyang's strategy for promoting international tourism. Russia remains the only country whose citizens have been permitted entry since North Korea relaxed its pandemic-era border restrictions. A Russian travel agency had reportedly scheduled two additional group tours for August. During Lavrov's visit, Russian media praised the resort's facilities, though a reporter from Kommersant observed that the beach appeared largely deserted. A separate Russian media report claimed that local North Koreans were used to simulate tourist activity during the visit. Tourism represents a rare and vulnerable source of foreign currency for North Korea, which remains under heavy international sanctions. Experts suggest the current ban on foreign visitors is likely to last if Pyogyang hopes to recoup the costs of the high-profile project. 'If foreign tourists aren't allowed to the site, Russian rubles, Chinese yuans and dollars won't come in. Then, North Korea can't break even and it has to shut down the resort,' said Ahn Chan Il, head of the World Institute for North Korean Studies think tank in Seoul. The North Korean government has provided no official explanation for the sudden policy shift. However, some analysts believe the move reflects lingering construction issues or concerns about appearances should foreign visitors witness conditions that fall short of state media's portrayal. Rachel Minyoung Lee, a non-resident fellow at 38 North, said the opening of the Wonsan-Kalma resort serves to support state messaging around Kim Jong Un's 'people-first' policy while balancing his continued focus on military development. 'Wonsan-Kalma is open to just North Koreans for now, but we should not be surprised to see Russians at the resort in the not-too-distant future,' she told CNN. Meanwhile, the regime has unveiled a new railway station at Kalma to support access to the tourist zone, touting its role in providing 'a high level of convenience' for travellers.
South China Morning Post
13-07-2025
- South China Morning Post
China hotel's use of red pandas for visitors causes concerns
A five-star hotel in China has sparked controversy by using a red panda to deliver morning wake-up calls. Lehe Ledu Liangjiang Hotel is located in Chongqing, in southwestern China. Several guests at the hotel shared videos of morning calls delivered by an adorable red panda. In the videos, the animal climbs onto beds and desks in hotel rooms. Guests were invited to pet and feed it. The hotel opened in 2010. It is part of a tourist resort that includes a wildlife park and more than 100 rooms. One of its services is allowing visitors to get close to animals. The rooms that featured red panda visits cost between 2,000 and 3,000 yuan (HK$2,186 to HK$3,280) per night. The hotel has temporarily suspended this service while an investigation takes place. The hotel has stated that their red pandas are fully vaccinated. There are currently around 6,000 to 7,000 red pandas in China. They are a protected species.
Malay Mail
26-06-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
North Korea unveils ‘world-class' beach resort with water slides, vows more to come
SEOUL, June 26 — North Korea has completed construction on a massive tourist resort boasting colourful water slides and swimming pools, state media said on Thursday, a pet project of leader Kim Jong Un. Kim was an enthusiastic visitor this week to the sprawling site on the isolated country's east coast, which is set to open its doors on July 1 to domestic tourists and maybe one day foreign ones. Analysts have said Kim showed a keen interest in developing North Korea's tourism industry in his early years in power, with the development of the Wonsan Kalma Coastal Tourist Area known to be a key focal point. The nuclear-armed North reopened its borders in August 2023 after almost four years, having closed them because of the Covid-19 pandemic, during which time even its own nationals were prevented from entering. Foreign tourism was limited though even before the pandemic, with tour companies saying around 5,000 Western tourists visited each year. Kim on Tuesday attended a lavish inaugural ceremony for the tourist zone, which hosts accommodation for nearly 20,000 people and what Pyongyang claims is 'a world-class cultural resort', the Korean Central News Agency said. Photos released by state media showed him sitting in a chair watching a man flying off a water slide and wearing a suit at the beach. Wonsan Kalma houses 'sea-bathing service facilities, various sports and recreation facilities' and is 'equipped with all conditions... for providing the beauty of the scenic spot on the east coast in all seasons', according to KCNA. Kim, with 'great satisfaction', said the construction of the site would go down as 'one of the greatest successes this year' and that the North would build more large-scale tourist zones 'in the shortest time possible', it added. Kim was joined by his daughter, Ju Ae — considered by many experts to be his likely successor — and his wife, Ri Sol Ju. South Korean media reported, based on images released by Pyongyang, that Ju Ae appears to be wearing a Cartier watch — despite such a high-end item being banned from import into North Korea under UN sanctions, imposed in response to the country's nuclear and missile activities. The North last year permitted Russian tourists — Pyongyang has close ties with Moscow — to return for the first time since Covid and Western tour operators returned in February this year. Russia's Tass news agency on Wednesday reported that a passenger train from Pyongyang had arrived in Moscow, marking the reopening of the direct rail route between the allies' capitals after a five-year suspension. A tourist train between Rason — home to North Korea's first legal marketplace — and Russia's Vladivostok resumed in May this year, according to an official from Seoul's unification ministry. — AFP
