Mt. Kumgang tours see boom

A growing number of tourists are visiting DPRK's scenic resort Mt. Kumgang following active use of an overland route to the mountain, with all tour programs for the fall season already booked to full capacity, according to Hyundai Asan on Sunday.

Hyundai Asan, the operator of Mt. Kumgang tour, said the number of monthly visitors to the scenic mountain hit a record high of 32,000 in July, and is expected to reach about 40,000 this month.

Some 33,000 people also made reservations for the trip for September and October each, doubling the number of travelers for the same period last year.

It is expected the total number of visitors to Mt. Kumgang since the launch in 1998 will reach 800,000 by the end of October, raising the number by 100,000 in only three months from July when the figure exceeded 700,000.

It took 14 months for the figure to increase from 500,000 to 600,000, and six months from 600,000 to 700,000.

"The tour boom to Mt. Kumgang has resulted from the start of one-day trips to the mountain from July 3. Although, plenty of people are signing up for the three-day programs as well," a Hyundai official said.

Despite the increasing numbers of visitors, the operator is trying to cope with poor accommodation and electricity infrastructure in the Northern region and urges the government to help expand facilities.

"Even though the reservation rate reaches about 100 percent, we are not making enough profit yet because our price for the programs is quite low compared to other profit making tours. We need government support to establish more infrastructure," the official said.

Hyundai Asan started the three-day packages to Mt. Kumgang in 1998 using a sea route, and an overland route became available since September last year. From July 3, the one-day trip to the mountain became possible as the two Koreas agreed to extend the hours during which visitors can pass through the demilitarized zone.

Source: Agencies