Troy Collins, co-founder and managing director of Youth Pioneer Travel
Young Pioneer Travel Agency (Young Pioneer Tours) co-founder and managing director, New Zealander Colins (Troy Collings) recently had a heart attack death, age 33.
As the first travel agency the first travel agency in the world to receive cheap travel to North Korea, providing young people from all over the world with the opportunity to travel and explore to North Korea —— this mysterious communist country.
The travel agency has been the focus of international media in recent years for the unexplained arrest and subsequent death of american student varmbir (Otto Warmbier) on north korea.
What kind of person did Collins, who died young, set up his youth pioneer travel agency? What is the impact of the tourism services it operates on North Korea?
"Pioneer" of Korean Tourism
In a statement posted on the website today, Youth Pioneer Travel Service said Collins had played an important role in the creation of Youth Pioneer Travel Service and made it one of the agencies to Korea. The statement also stated that they had lost a "visionary pioneer ".
As early as 2008, Collins and Johnson (Gareth Johnson) co-founded the Youth Pioneer Travel Agency.
In 2018, collins told the press about his original intention to create a travel agency, saying his interest in north korea began with a 2004 documentary on north korean gymnastics, the kingdom of will.
In a subsequent trip to Korea, Collins realized that "tourism must be aimed at helping the local people and have an impact on the development of the DPRK ".
Even more important, mr collins says, he has built real relationships with people he meets during his travels relationship, which has had a profound impact on himself.
It was this travel experience that made Collins realize that this is what he wanted to do all his life, that is, to devote himself to tourism.
Korea Cheap Tourism
Corinthians in Pyongyang
So he and Johnson started the travel company together. The company offers travel tours to north korea for young people around the world at half the price of similar projects for ordinary travel companies.
"In fact, the barriers to travel to North Korea are not as big as most people think ," Collins said. But this is mainly because we have established good relationship with our Pyongyang partners. "
The company offers people the opportunity to travel to Pyongyang and visit the Pyongyang Marathon. At the same time, people are also organized to visit the rural areas of Korea.
Youth Pioneer Travel Service`s cheap travel service is mainly for young people; without Pioneer Travel Service, many people may not be able to afford to travel to North Korea.
In North Korea, all travel is subject to strict scrutiny, tour groups are accompanied by North Korea, and people are not allowed to choose their own itinerary.
The Death of American College Students
American student Vambir was arrested while in Pyongyang shortly after he was declared a vegetable; returned to the United States and officially declared death.
Wambil is an American college student. In 2016, he travelled to North Korea through Pioneer Travel Agency.
He was arrested for allegedly stealing a Korean poster as a "trophy" at the fifth floor of the Yangjiao Island Hotel in Pyongyang.
Wambeer was sentenced to 15 years of labour reform in north korea; his arrest also brought avant-garde travel agency to media attention.
Fourth to the right, Wambee
By June 2017, North Korea had agreed to return to the United States the already "vegetative" Vambeer; a week after his return to the United States, he had been "officially" death. and people still did not know what had happened.
Cowlins told The British Broadcasting Corporation that no one in the travel agency had been able to contact him since he was taken away. He added that a well-known tour guide remained in Pyongyang, trying to contact Vambir and trying to help, but not successfully.
After the news of the death, Pioneer Travel Agency issued a statement announcing that North Korean tourist groups no longer accept American tourists. The company`s statement says north korea`s treatment of wambeer is an outrage that can not be repeated.
The statement also said the company had repeatedly asked to see or contact him in pyongyang, was refused, each time was told he was in good condition.
Don`t jump to conclusions
Interaction with students learning English in Korean classrooms
In addition to North Korea, Pioneer Travel Service currently offers travel projects including Chernobyl in Ukraine and East Timor in Asia.
Collins once said he learned a lot by traveling. And the biggest gain may be to examine self-bias and look at everything with critical eyes.
He says people always say that North Korea is full of propaganda slogans. Is our own country not? Many things are not black and white. People do things with purpose.
He also advised people not to form their own opinions by reading a book, an article, or listening to someone`s speech. You need to keep your judgment and draw a careful conclusion before you really understand something.
Although there are not many international tourists to visit North Korea in general, it has brought stable economic income to North Korea.
Although accurate figures are difficult to obtain, the number of international visitors to North Korea is believed to be around 100,000 each year. Most of them are Chinese. In addition to the Chinese, there are about 8,000 to 10,000 tourists from other countries every year.
