Just when everyone began to get curious about North Korea’s brand new seaside resort destination, the country has hit pause. The Kalma Coastal Tourist Area was just introduced to the world and is now no longer accepting international tourists.
It is strange how there was no big announcement, no elaborate explanation– just a simple change on a government-run tourism website. That change? Simple: The Kalma Coastal Tourist Area in Wonsan is temporarily not accepting foreign tourists.
Could it be the price?
Travelling to North Korea is not cheap, let’s face it. And Kalma? Definitely not cheap! According to the BBC, a self-guided week-long tour (including four days at the Kalma resort) could cost you approximately $1800. That is almost sixty percent of the entire month’s salary of an average Russian worker.
So yeah, maybe that explains why there hasn’t been a flood of interest from foreign visitors. There were also some rumors floating around that a Russian group intended to visit in early July, but now…. not so much.
Flashback: A Warm Welcome That Didn’t Last Long
When Kalma was revealed, the atmosphere was one of accessibility. Locals and foreigners alike, everyone was reportedly welcome.
The Russian news agency Tass even reported on travel plans in the works. What changed? Nobody knows for sure. Maybe it’s logistics. Maybe the infrastructure isn’t ready. Maybe the country realized not many people planned to book the $1,800 trips. All we can speculate on is what we think…
When Politics Meets the Beach
Kalma is more than a resort. Kalma also serves as the host for serious diplomatic dialogue. So while tourists may be paused, politics are still happily thriving in the corner.
Can We Take a Step Back for a Second—What is Kalma?
Kalma has been touted a symbol of development and openness, or at least according to North Korean standards. We just saw the big opening announcement on July 1st, it was to be a big deal.
Within a week, the welcome mat for international tourist arrivals was rolled right back up.
Introduction… But Late
Generally, you would start here. But since we have been throwing it all off, North Korea’s tourism industry has long felt somewhat enigmatic, but Kalma was meant to be something – a stepping stone that promised the country was more than just missiles and military missives. For a brief period of time it felt like Pyongyang was opening its doors ever so slightly… again.
Then we saw the quiet update on the DPR Korea Tour website and the door closed again.
