Several Asian and European travel agencies are cutting deals ahead of a North Korean Milestone in 2012, the year the communist country claims it will become a “powerful and prosperous nation.”

The highly anticipated year marks a century on the Juche calendar, which began with the birth of Kim Il-sung in 1912.

The Swedish travel agency Korea Konsult specializes in trips to North Korea. It published an advertisement online Wednesday for a 50-euro per head discount if travel reservations to North Korea in 2012 are booked before this September.

Koryo Tours in Beijing is selling an eight-day package for 1,490 euros per person, where tourists can sightsee in Seoul and Pyongyang around the time of Kim Jong-il’s 70th birthday next year.

The itinerary includes watching mass games in which a large number of performers take part in a highly regimented performance. There will also be ice skating shows and an exhibition for paying respects to a picture of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, where thousands of Pyongyang residents will take part.