NORTH KOREA: Missile Tests, North Korea Enjoys More Bookings From Tour Companies

Regent Holidays, which has taken more people to North Korea than any other UK tour operator, said bookings to the state were surging.

Visits are closely monitored and some tourists have even been jailed for “crimes” like leaving a bible behind or stealing a poster.

But experts say the fascination with “bizarre, outrageous and extreme” destinations is big enough to keep Brits coming.

Carl Meadows, a Regent Holidays guide who’s been to North Korea more than 20 times, explained the appeal.

“Our average client travelling to North Korea will not be put off by the recent missile tests.

"Our visitors are normally well informed and open-minded, and are keen to see for themselves what lies behind the many myths.

"We tend to find that whenever any news breaks about North Korea, interest in and bookings for our tours rise accordingly," he added.

Peter Wiltshier, a senior tourism lecturer at Derby University, said tour operators in the UK, Ireland and Israel had seen more interest in "axis of evil" countries.

It doesn’t matter that you are escorted everywhere on tour in North Korea – maybe that’s actually part of the fascination.

Visitors are excited by the despotic thrill despite some concerns over things such as human-rights violations and existing international sanctions.

There are still ‘collectors of countries’ in the way some used to collect football cards. Others will just enjoy exclaiming about being in a prison.

Others are just bored with conventional holidays and are accepting the peer challenge to get there or be square, Mr Wiltshier added.

Tourism to North Korea remains an unusual choice, but Pyongyang has been courting visitors with new facilities in recent years.

Guests can now chill at the £29m Masikryong Ski Resort, or sunbathe on the beaches of Wonsan, Kumgang and Hamhung.

However, recently-published images suggest that one destination – the Majon resort – is not all it cracked up to be.

NORTH KOREA: Tourism Industry Begins To Boom

The statues of former North Korean Presidents Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il at Pyongyang are a major tourist attraction

The tourism industry in North Korea is beginning to boom, according to research which estimates the secretive Communist state earned between $30.6 million to $43.6 million from tourism in 2014.

Around 100,000 tourists visited North Korea, nearly all of them from China. Just 5,000 came from Western countries, according to the report by Yoon In-ju, a researcher at the Korea Maritime Institute, a think tank based in South Korea.

North Korea could capitalize on tourism as a growth engine to escape poverty.

North Korea is seeking to grow its tourism industry. Earlier in the year, it was reported that the country wants to attract 2 million visitors a year by 2020. The country has also built several tourist attractions in recent years, including the Masikryong ski resort.

Various travel agents have sprung up to help tourists explore North Korea. One British-run company based in Beijing, Koryo Tours, arranges trips for groups of up to 19 people which cost around 1,300 euros ($1,395).

The company offers several packages allowing visitors to watch of take part in the annual Pyongyang marathon, see the military parades and visit other sites. Tourism in North Korea is still very restrictive: tourists cannot travel around freely and must be accompanied by tour guides and a driver.

The figure of $30-$40 million may not seem much, but it is significant considering the small size of the country's economy. The central bank of neighbouring South Korea estimates North Korea's gross domestic product in 2014 was just $30 billion, while other sources think it is much smaller.

For comparison, South Korea's GDP last year was worth $1.4 trillion.

Furthermore, North Korea has a long way to go before it becomes a major tourist destination. Both Singapore and South Korea earned $19 billion each from tourism in 2013, according to statistics from The World Bank.