21st April 2024 – Young Pioneer Tour managers recently visited China to meet with our North Korean travel partners to discuss when North Korea will reopen in 2024. The good news is that it seems that it will most likely reopen this year but no further specifics have been confirmed.
Yet like all things DPRK, most of it is advice from within the DPRK and situations are subject to change.
Can foreigners visit North Korea now?
A group of foreigners apart of the Korean Friendship Association sent a Juche delegation to Pyongyang for Kim Il Sung (the first leader of North Korea) birthday anniversary on April 15th 2024. This confirmed for all intents and purposes that foreigners can technically travel to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Not only that, but as per the promises of Lavrov, Russian tour groups have also visited North Korea and plan to send more groups. Yet while all of these things are positive, they also have their own explanations.
Firstly, the KFA came as part of a delegation and not as tourists. This meant that they did not get tourist visas, which are not currently being processed – at least to non-Russians.
The Russian tour groups came in as part of political negations and bilateral relations between the Russian Federation and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and as we were told were “different”.
If North Korea will reopen in 2024 when will it be?
While these previous examples do not mean that the country is imminently reopening, they do for all intents mean that the country will reopen in 2024, at least according to our partners.
And as per our discussions, embassy and tourism personal are leaning towards opening “in the later half of the year”, with this being interpreted as July 2024, or after. For DPRK veterans you will know that this is of course one of the best times to be in the nation, with us certainly hopeful that this occurs.
Can I book a North Korea tour now then?
Not yet as there are no fixed dates for the opening. While we are confident that our inside information is accurate, the fact that things can and indeed do change cannot be discounted. This means the country could well open later, or sidewind us all by reopening tomorrow.
For us though it certainly means that we will be constantly keeping our North Korea tours updated, as well as talking to our partners to ensure that you are the first to know when North Korea reopens to tourism.
Will prices go up for North Korean tours?
While not yet reflected on our personal tour prices it is quite certain that prices for North Korean tours will increase as set by the DPRK state, although the amount if likely to be very reasonable and not be over 20%.
This is as expected as tour costs were hardly raised in the last 15 years, regardless of what other travel companies have charged.
For us we still promise to offer the best value and where possible the cheapest tours to North Korea on the market.
YPT are still the best option for North Korea
Not only do we promise the best prices, but also the best tour guides, range of tours and experience within North Korea. While other companies have gone quiet, bankrupt or simply lost interest in North Korea, YPT have never stopped communicating with our partners in Pyongyang.
This combined with the fact that we have expanded so much with our range of tour destinations means that we have not suffered the same problems that other companies have.
Therefore, we are more than ready to handle the influx of people wanting to visit the DPRK, and will be ready with guides, tours and the best product available.
You can check out our North Korea tours here. If you would like to be added to our mailing list to be the FIRST to know when the country reopens then you can email us at Tours@YoungPioneerTours.com
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