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Mass tourism from Russia to North Korea unfeasible due to current restrictions — expert

"First and foremost, it should eliminate the mandatory group travel requirement and introduce options for individual tours, even if that requires a visa," CEO of the Space Travel tour operator Artur Muradyan stated

MOSCOW, July 21. /TASS/. Large-scale tourist flows from Russia to North Korea remain impossible due to existing restrictions, with the country needing significant revisions to its entry rules for Russian visitors, Artur Muradyan, Vice President of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR) and CEO of the Space Travel tour operator stated on his Telegram channel.

"North Korea currently has little chance of becoming a mass or even semi-mass tourist destination attracting five-digit visitor numbers. To achieve this, the country must substantially revise its regulations for Russian travelers," Muradyan stated. "First and foremost, it should eliminate the mandatory group travel requirement and introduce options for individual tours, even if that requires a visa."

Secondly, he emphasized the need for a logistics expansion: increasing railway frequency and flight numbers, particularly from central Russia rather than solely Vladivostok. "After all, the current Nordwind flights operating once a month have nothing to do with tourism," the expert noted.

Additionally, North Korea maintains strict limitations on foreign tourists’ actions. Muradyan suggested liberalizing movement across the Wonsan resort area, where visits are currently permitted only under tightly controlled itineraries.

"Finally, ATOR believes North Korea should enhance cooperation with major tour operators. Presently, the only ones handling tours to the country are small niche players that are unlikely to possess sufficient resources for significant tourist growth, even if the aforementioned issues get resolved," he concluded.

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