A city in North Korea will reopen to tourists from December, almost five years after the borders were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Two Chinese travel agencies have announced that tourists will soon be allowed to visit the mountain town of Samjijon.
North Korea only began to lift restrictions imposed during the pandemic in the middle of last year.
Border closures have also cut off imports of essential goods, leading to food shortages exacerbated by international sanctions over the country's nuclear program.
"Until now, only Samjijon has been officially confirmed, but we think that Pyongyang and other places will also open", it is stated on the Facebook page of the Chinese agency KTG Turs.
The Beijing-based agency Koryo Tours announced that tourists could "potentially" visit other parts of North Korea in December.
The agency told the BBC that the North Korean authorities allow tourists from any country to join the trips, except from South Korea. However, the US does not allow its citizens to travel to North Korea.
In recent years, Samdžijon has been undergoing reconstruction, and it is planned to rebuild the airport, turn the military ski base into a resort, as well as build railways and hotels for tourist accommodation.
Samjijon lies at the foot of North Korea's highest mountain, Paektu, which stretches along the China-North Korea border, and is famous for its winter attractions.
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