The second Russian tour to North Korea since the start of the pandemic left for Pyongyang on Friday, as the DPRK pushes forward efforts to normalize tourism and market itself as a destination for Russian travelers.

Natalya Zinina of Vostok Intur, the agency organizing the tour, told NK News that 47 people have joined the trip running from March 8-11, less than half the nearly 100 Russian travelers on the first tour in early February. 

While Zinina did not explain the reason for the decrease, the travel agency has announced two more tours to North Korea, one slated for March