North Korea plans to open a Benidorm-style beach resort in June 2025 as the secretive nation takes « a first big step » in developing tourism.
The isolated country reopened its borders in 2023 after imposing one of the harshest lockdowns anywhere in the world, with even its own citizens unable to enter.
The resort, built on a former missile launch site, has been dubbed « North Korea’s Benidorm » after officials were reportedly sent by the nation’s leader Kim Jong Un to Costa Blanca in 2017 on a fact-finding mission.
Known as the Wonsan-Kalma development project, the site was recently inspected by Kim and his daughter, with state TV showing pictures of them strolling across the sand on a nearby beach.
He expressed « great satisfaction » that facilities had been built « so that they can be utilised for successfully hosting important external, political and cultural events of the state », according to state media Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
KCNA quoted the authoritarian leader as saying: « If the tourist industry is developed by making active use of such favourable conditions and environment, it will open up a new realm of socialist cultural construction and bring about another motive force for promoting regional rejuvenation and national economic growth. »
The resort had initially been scheduled to open in May, with the opening subsequently pushed back until June, but many believe that the resort, one of the largest of its kind in the world, may never be filled.
North Korea expert Jacob Bogle, who created a comprehensive map of the country from satellite photos, described the sheer scale of the development.
He told The Sun: « The Wonsan resort is the largest recreational complex in North Korea and is one of the largest single-operator beach resorts in the world in terms of length.
« Initial plans released back in 2013 suggested that the resort could accommodate as many as 100,000 visitors at a time.
« Considering that only 150,000 to 200,000 foreign tourists visited the country annually pre-Covid, Wonsan would be heavily reliant on domestic tourism to reach capacity.
« North Korea does have a moderate domestic tourism industry, but Wonsan was billed as a place to draw in foreign tourists.
« Even completed projects like the Masikryong Ski Resort were never able to draw substantial numbers of foreign guests.”
The country has recently opened to Chinese and Russian tourists, with the countries forming a close alliance in recent years following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In theory, the country could be opened up to UK tourists, providing the Foreign Office does not place restrictions on travel to the communist state.
North Korea expert Michael Madden told The Sun: « Provided the Foreign Office does not have such restrictions, if the Wonsan Kalma resort is complete and the DPRK resumes issuing tourist visas then, yes, UK tourists will be able to visit the resort.
« It is safe to assume that some North Korean tourism companies will market specialist tours of the country’s beaches. »
Mr Bogle added: « It’s very unlikely that South Korean or US tourists will be allowed to visit in the foreseeable future. »
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