No More Vacations To North Korea, Ebola Scare Forces Tourism Ban

The Ebola virus hysteria has claimed another victim: North Korea’s tourism industry. The reclusive kingdom has barred all foreign tourists from entering the country out of fear of Ebola, according to tourist agencies specializing in North Korea.

Two Beijing-based tourist agencies, Young Pioneers Tours and Koryo Tours, both issued statements saying that tourists would not be allowed in starting Friday (October 24). Koryo Tours statement explained that the situation is still mostly unknown.

“It is presently unknown how long this closure will be in effect for but we are hopeful that our planned tours in November and December will take place.”

North Korea’s state media confirmed that the country is taking the Ebola virus seriously.

“Travellers and materials are undergoing more thorough checks and quarantine at airfields, trading ports and border railway stations than ever before.”

The Ebola quarantine raises an important question, who is going to North Korea on vacation?

As previously reported by the Inquisitr, Jeffrey E. Fowle took a vacation in the hermit kingdom, which led to his arrest. He was dubbed an enemy of the state and arrested when he left a bible in a restaurant bar. He was recently released, but in all his trip took about almost six months.

Despite cautionary tales like Mr. Fowle’s, annually about 4,000 western tourists were visiting North Korea in 2012, according to NK News. Hundreds of thousands of South Koreans also used to visit specially designated sites in North Korea, but that stopped suddenly in 2008 when Northern officials shot a tourist for wandering. The incident resulted in a ban on South Korean tourists, but Chinese tourists are still allowed to risk it all for a chance to see the country.

Although the tourism industry may seem small and plagued with arrests and killings, the Ebola virus may cut off a source of foreign revenues, which the struggling country desperately needs. It may be a big price considering the especially low risk of the Ebola virus actually poses.

The Ebola outbreak is almost entirely exclusive to West Africa. The only exceptions are a handful of cases in the United States, and one in Spain. Ebola is difficult to spread, relying on bodily fluids like blood to travel from host to host, which has limited the virus’ contagion.

Still, may be it is better safe than sorry.

According to The Guardian, despite the promise of a perfect communist health system, North Korea is suffering from serious shortages of medicine and infrastructure. If the Ebola virus did somehow get into the country, the results may be similar to West Africa, where inadequate medical facilities and misinformation have increased the spread.

North Korea may have a lot of problems, but with the tourist ban in effect, the Ebola virus won’t be one them.

[Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons]