How North Korea is coping with uncouth tourists from China

When hordes of Chinese tourists descend on Pyongyang, there's a mixed reaction from North Korea's tourism workers: they are pleased their No 1 visitors will be splurging on everything from souvenirs to casinos, but then there's a furtive sigh of: "Here we go again."

Bad behaviour by mainland Chinese tourists in Hong Kong to Egypt, Paris to the Maldives, is well documented. But breaches of etiquette in the notoriously strict Democratic People's Republic of Korea are sometimes more obtuse.

Simon Cockerell, of Koryo Tours, which specialises in travel to the reclusive socialist state, cites as an example mainland tourists throwing sweets at North Korean children "like they're feeding ducks". "The North Koreans think that's undignified and offensive," he says.

In another faux pas: "If mainland tourists go to a school performance, they don't have any qualms about rushing to the stage and picking up a child for photos."

Cockerell says such behaviour highlights the need for what the Chinese National Tourism Administration calls an "improved degree and level of civilised behaviour" by its tourists.

Gareth Johnson, founder of Young Pioneer Tours, has encountered many mainland tour groups during the more than 40 visits he has made to North Korea while escorting young and Western budget travellers.