Should you visit North Korea? TripAdvisor users say yes

Not many people would rate North Korea among the world’s best tourist destinations, but it appears the users of the world’s largest travel website do.

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea may not receive the sheer number of reviews that a Sydney, New York or Paris may see (Sydney boasts more than 14,000 reviews to Pyongyang’s 179).

But what North Korea it lacks in quantity is makes up for in quality.

Attractions rarely record fewer than 4 out of 5 bubbles (TripAdvisor’s answer the the star system), according to the site’s users.

The Demilitarized Zone (the area where North Korean and South Korean soldiers have been facing off for decades) is the second best tourist attraction, according to TripAdvisor reviewers, scoring an impressive 4.5 ‘bubbles’.

The lowest ranked attraction received 3.5 bubbles.

One notable exception, listed under shopping, is a foreign langue bookshop - it has achieved a 2 bubble rating.

One may be forgiven for thinking not all of the reviews on the country with notoriously restricted internet services are entirely legitimate. The regime has form.

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One five star review on Kim Il Sung Square (Pyongyang’s third highest rated tourist attraction) came with a caveat.

“this place was compeling, (sic) i saw feces on thr ground,” wrote a traveller from Boston in the US.

Most reviewers do their best to put a positive spin on their experiences though.

A Youth Hotel with 2.5 bubbles is still recommended by contributors, one of whom overs the encouraging recommendation, “you should survive.”

Repeated studies have shown large numbers of people place their trust in online review sites for everything from travel to takeaway food.

A report commissioned by TripAdvisor itself suggested its reviews could be credited with inspiring billions of dollars worth of travel around the world.

“TripAdvisor generated 22 million tourism trips and 352 million tourism nights over the course of a year, as well $64 billion in incremental travel expenditures, none of which would have occurred if it were not for TripAdvisor content,” Oxford Ecomonics Global Contribution of TripAdvisor report said.

But while influential, review sites do not come without some controversy.

The travel industry has been accused of trying to manipulate TripAdvisor reviews and there have been well-documented spats between restaurants using sites and apps like Yelp.

Horror stories from similar online services like AirBnB are also not unheard of.

But if you find yourself in two minds as to whether a trip to North Korea might not be such a bad idea, it may pay to visit some more traditional information sources as well before booking tickets.

North Korea’s government has an appalling reputation on human rights and has been regularly accused of subjecting its own citizens and foreigners to extreme sentences.

Some of those imprisoned by the communist regime have been said to have been ‘worked to death’ in labour camps.

Recently 21-year-old American student Otto Warmbier was sentenced to 15 years hard labour for stealing a sign from a hotel.

Australia’s, Britain’s and the US governments have their own message for those considering travelling to North Korea though: Don’t.