China-North Korea International Tourism Cooperation in Tumen River : An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Border tourists from China to North Korea have become significant economic engines for the development of North Korea’s economy, so that the North Korea’s new leader, Kim Jung-Un has been largely interested in the tourism cooperation with China. Thus, this study examined the border tourism between China and North Korea. Results showed that the border tourism in the region has been changing from in the form of cross-border tourism to trans-border tourism cooperation. In particular, it was found that over the years three countries in the Tumen river area(i.e., China, North Korea, Russia) have collaborated together to build a shared vision for the tourism development, the Tumen River Delta International Tourism Zone, which is composed of the three countries’ territories. We suggest that both public and private sectors in Korea should consider proactively participating in the international tourism cooperation in Tumen river. Also, the tourism cooperation project led by the local governments in the river area suggests that regional governments in the border between South and North Koreas should take the lead in developing the peaceful relations in the border. Due to the difficulty in collecting empirical evidence, this study took an exploratory approach including literature review and fieldwork to collect on-site information, and suggestions for future study based on empirical data analysis would contribute to improving the body of literature on border tourism in Northeast Asia.

Spatial and temporal differences of Chinese tourists’ travel demands to North Korea

“…Chung & Cui (2020) examined the border tourism between China and North Korea. They provoked that border tourists from China to North Korea had become significant economic engines for the development of North Korea’s economy, and the border tourism in the region has been changing from in the form of cross-border tourism to trans-border tourism cooperation [ 16 ]. Thirdly, Dong & Jin (2020) conducted 349 questionnaires to analyze the behavioral decisions of Chinese tourists visiting North Korea.…”