Iseltwald: Asian tourists overrun Swiss village

The approximately 420 inhabitants of the municipality of Iseltwald on Lake Brienz have never experienced anything like this: the picturesque village in the Swiss canton of Bern is currently being overrun by Asian tourists. What should make the locals happy is a big burden.

The reason for the sudden rush of visitors is the Korean Netflix series “Crash Landing on You”. It tells the love story between a South Korean businesswoman and a North Korean border officer.

Part of the shooting took place in Switzerland. In the seventh episode, the North Korean officer dreams of a memory of the country. In memory of his deceased brother, he plays the piano on a jetty on Lake Brienz – a scene that lasts about a minute and that brought many fans to tears. And they now obviously moved to visit the picturesque place in droves. Iseltwald is reaching its limits.

Not enough parking and toilets

As the “Berner Zeitung” reports, Netflix tourism has taken over. Because the buses were completely overcrowded, public transport even adjusted the timetable on the route from Interlaken to Iseltwald and used four additional buses.

The capacity limit has also been reached in terms of parking spaces, it is said. Where there is usually room for two touring coaches, twelve now arrive every day. The problem continues with the toilets, the newspaper writes. There just aren’t enough of them for the large number of people.

Quick selfie and no profit

What annoys the locals is the selfie mentality of the visitors. They really only care about the photo on the famous footbridge. But nobody wants to explore the village beyond that. The guests would neither stay overnight nor eat in the village or buy anything.

In other words: the crowds did not bring any money. Until now.

Because the municipality reacted and, according to the Swiss daily newspaper “Blick”, issued a few regulations. Coach companies now have to register online and are only allowed to park in Iseltwald for a reserved period of time. In addition, a turnstile now prevents visitors from flooding the jetty. The cross can only be passed if five francs (about five euros) are paid. At least a small fee, which now benefits the village.

The world’s best view is here

In Iseltwald, tourists want to recreate the famous scene from “Crash Landing on You”. But of course the view is breathtaking. From the jetty at the shipping pier, the eye looks out over turquoise water, white clouds and green forests. Is there anything better? Apparently yes.

Omio, the booking platform for trains, buses and flights, has now published a ranking of the best viewing platforms in the world. The price-performance winner is the “Top of Africa” viewing platform in Johannesburg (South Africa) on the top floor of the 223 meter high “Carlton Centre”. The panoramic view of the metropolis with five million inhabitants as far as Soweto costs the equivalent of only 1.56 euros here.