Tourism not feeling fallout of nuke tests

By Qian Yanfeng (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-05-29 10:05

SHANGHAI: Increased tension on the Korean Peninsula following the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) nuclear test and later abandonment of the cease-fire agreement has not yet stopped Chinese from visiting the country.

Wang Fang, manager of the outbound division of Shanghai-based Jinjiang Travel Agency, told China Daily all 24 tourists in the DPRK with the agency were safe and well. And she said there were no plans to cancel future tours.

The agency sent Shanghai's first tour group to Pyongyang on Tuesday after China approved the destination status of the DPRK last year.

"Tourist routes are carefully selected and safe. People do not seem to be much affected," she said. "Many are still interested in touring the country."

The DPRK on Wednesday abandoned the truce that ended the Korean War after it tested an atomic bomb for the second time since 2006.

The tourists from Shanghai arrived in the DPRK's capital on Wednesday afternoon via Shenyang in Liaoning province. One of the travelers described Pyongyang to the Shanghai Morning Post as "serene and peaceful" on the first day he arrived.

A spokeswoman surnamed Wang from Yanbian Zhigong International Travel Agency in Jilin province, which borders the DPRK, also dismissed concerns about safety.

"We organize two groups every week and will continue to do so. The situation is not as bad as some people think," she said. "The impact of the financial crisis is much bigger, there have been fewer tourists compared to last year."

But Zhou Yinfeng, general manager of the outbound division of Shanghai CYTS Tours Corporation, said: "The political instability may produce a negative impact upon (the DPRK's) tourism industry."