NKorean planning to sell tours to N. Korea in violation of sectoral law - Russian travel industry union
MOSCOW. Aug 25 (Interfax) - The NKorean company, which announced the beginning of North Korea tour sales in the Russian market on Thursday, has unclear legal status in Russia, Russian Union of Travel Industry spokesperson Irina Tyurina told Interfax on Friday.
"It was announced at the press conference that NKorean is a travel agency. The company describes itself as a tour operator on its website and it actually is, as it itself puts tours together. However, there is no information about the existence of records in the Unified Federal Register, and there is no company with such a name in the register, while no other legal entity names are provided. And sales of tours abroad by a tourist agency are against the sectoral law," Tyurina said.
The company has been offering tours for more than a month, she said.
On Thursday, North Korea's NKorean company announced the launch of operations in the Russian market as a tour agency, which would offer Russians tours to the country. Representatives of the company, established in 2017, said that it is a tour agency approved by the North Korean government and guaranteeing tourists' security in North Korea.
"As for the North Korean government's approval, actually, foreign tourists can get to North Korea only by means of companies accredited in the North Korean Foreign Ministry. This is why all Russian tour operators, which, by the way, have been offering tours to the country for a long time, were accredited in the embassy," Tyurina said.
The Russian Federal Tourism Agency (Rosturizm) told Interfax that there is indeed no company with such a name in the Unified Tour Operators Register. "Rosturizm has no information about a company with such a name. If this company intends to sell tours in Russia, it should register as an entity in accordance with Russian legislation, and information about it should be added to the tour operators register," the agency said.
The Russian Union of Travel Industry said earlier that 423 Russian tourists had visited North Korea in 2016. This destination attracts Russians, especially Far East residents, as a very exotic one, but it will not likely become a mass one, it said.
NKorean offers tours to North Korea lasting from four to 15 days. Their cost starts at 51,000 rubles, including accommodation at four-star hotels, full board, all transport during the route, excursions and services of a guide, as well as return tickets from Vladivostok to Pyongyang. The price of a 15-day tour is 117,000 rubles. Tours may include excursions to Pyongyang and other cities, mountain skiing, trekking, celebrations of national holidays, such as the Party Foundation Day on October 10 or National Liberation Day on August 15.