Direct flights to link Xi'an, Pyongyang

Travelers will be able to fly directly from Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi province, to Pyongyang starting in late July as Air Koryo plans to open a new direct route to meet the rising demand from Chinese tourists to visit the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Xi'an will become the fifth city on the Chinese mainland with direct flights to Pyongyang, following Beijing, Shanghai, Shenyang in Liaoning province and Chengdu in Sichuan province, according to the Shaanxi Tourism and Development Committee.

"We'll play our role in cooperating with Air Koryo to develop and sell tourism products with the new route. We also welcome promotional activities related to DPRK tourism in our province," said Meng Xiangguo, the committee's deputy director.