North Korean state airline Air Koryo has confirmed that it is resuming domestic flight services, as part of roster of changes that the DPRK hopes will boost tourist numbers.

According to a promotional advert in the Pyongyang Times on Tuesday, domestic flights will resume in mid-July and will consist of three separate routes to the cities of Sondok, Orang and Samjiyon. Flights to each city will take place once a week with all flights will originate from the capital Pyongyang.

“The flights will take local and foreign tourists and businesspeople to scenic attractions and economic development zones,” the advert reads, which was posted on social media by Young Pionner Tours (YPT).

Previously YPT issued a statement on their website confirming the development, calling the move “indicative of the changing face of tourism in North Korea.”

“The availability of regular domestic flights is set to increase the opportunity to travel within the DPRK. Foreigners previously had to charter flights to fly between cities, a journey which could take up to two days by rail or road,” the statement read.

THE GROWTH OF TOURISM

In further moves to bolster its tourism industry, North Korea has also resumed chartered flights between Pyongyang and the Chinese border city of Yanji, which were suspended in 2013 due to tensions on the Peninsula.

According to Chi Jinnyu, the manager of a Yanji based tour company, the first flight left Yanji on July 1, carrying 71 Chinese tourists and will operate every Thursday and Sunday until October 17.  Chi also told China’s Xinhua news agency that the first three chartered flights between the two cities have already sold out.

Domestic infrastructure is also being improved to facilitate further travellers to the country. According to state media on July 10, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the construction site of a new terminal at the Pyongyang International Airport. Kim had previously said that he wanted North Korea to have one million tourists visit the DPRK each year.

Reporting from the event, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Kim, “stressed that the Terminal of Pyongyang International Airport is like a gateway to Pyongyang and the face of the country”, underscoring the need for tourist facilities including lounges, restaurants and accommodation close to the airport.

North Korea’s tourism industry is already showing signs of growth in the first half of 2014 according to Choson Sinbo, a pro-North Korean newspaper in Japan. The news outlet reported Tuesday that tourist numbers have increased 20 percent since January compared to the same period in 2013.

Current estimates from foreign tour companies place the number of western tourists visiting North Korea at six thousand per year.  According to data compiled by Reuters, Chinese tourists account for majority of DPRK tourists, with over  237,000 visiting North Korea in 2012.

DEVELOPMENT BARRIERS

Despite recent growth and efforts to further expand access for tourists, travel to North Korea is not without risk. Five western tourists have been arrested while on organized tours since 2012, for a range of “anti-state” crimes.

Two tourists, Australian missionary John Short and U.S. war veteran Meryl Newman, were subsequently released following their arrest, but three American citizens remain in detention.

Korean-American Kenneth Bae is currently serving a 15 year sentence of hard labor for preaching Christianity, while North Korea state media announced in June that detainees Matthew Miller Todd and Jeffrey Edward Fowle will face trial for “hostile acts” against the state.

The U.S. Department of State have a blanket travel warning in place which “strongly recommends against all travel by U.S. citizens to North Korea.”

The warning issued in November 2013 was the strongest of its kind issued since U.S. travel to North Korea country was first authorized in 1995.

The Department of State further updated the wording of the travel alert in May to remind U.S. citizens that travelling in official tour groups does not guarantee their safety.

“Do not assume that joining a group tour or use of a tour guide will prevent your arrest or detention by North Korean authorities,” the warning read.

Main picture: Pyongyang Times, via Young Pioneer Tours

North Korean state airline Air Koryo has confirmed that it is resuming domestic flight services, as part of roster of changes that the DPRK hopes will boost tourist numbers. According to a promotional advert in the Pyongyang Times on Tuesday, domestic flights will resume in mid-July and will consist of three separate routes to the cities of