Switzerland: For a selfie in the Iseltwald

2024-11-21 16:00:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Iseltwald – once a quiet alpine village of 400 inhabitants in the Swiss Alps, a playground – most of the time empty – and an ordinary pier by the lake, is now filled with tourists every day. Most of them from Asia.

Hundreds of eyes come every day to this small place by boat, bus or rental car, to walk on the village pier and take a selfie with the Alps in the background.

Sofia and her friend have come from South Korea for just five days in Europe.

"This is the most important day of our trip. We definitely wanted to see this mole." - says Sofia.

Time after corona

Mayor Peter Rubi remembers exactly when it all started: after the end of the corona pandemic and travel restrictions.

"When the borders were reopened and people were allowed to travel, they all came. And now they keep coming." - he shows.

Among the tourists are Annemaria from Germany and her cousin, Mercy.

"We came here because of the series Crash Landing on You." My cousin came specially from the Philippines to see this place and we came all the way from Germany so that she can see it," says Annemaria.

Switzerland: For a selfie in the Iseltwald

The series tells a love story between a South Korean girl and a North Korean boy. It's a bit of a cliche love story. But the climax, the scene with the piano on the pier, is etched in the hearts of millions of fans.

The village is no longer as peaceful as it used to be

But how do the locals feel about the crowds of Asian tourists in their village?

"There are so many of them. And they don't bring anything back. They come here, take a few pictures, and then go back on the next bus and leave all the garbage behind." - complains Susanne Hefti. "It's not the quiet village it used to be." - says another resident.

There are 20 busloads of tourists coming to Iseltwald every day. Add the bus lines: full of tourists. Often there is no more room in them for the students who go to school, the residents of Iseltwald complain.

Ticket to the pier

That's why the mayor of Iseltwald put a passage gate at the pier. Entrance to the pier costs 5 francs.

"We need the money for the maintenance of roads and toilets, which are now used more than before." - says Peter Rubi.

In this way, the municipality collects 100,000 francs per year. And tourists don't complain. Checky Chen, from Costa Rica, says: "I was prepared, because I knew you have to pay to ride the pier. I think it's okay, because it creates order and with the revenue the infrastructure is improved."

This measure seems to have calmed the residents of Iseltwald a little, who react more calmly to the crowds of tourists on their pier./ DW