Swiss village cashes in as tourists pay to visit dock featured in hit K-drama ‘Crash Landing On You'
GENEVA — A Swiss village has cashed in on a pay-for-entry turnstile used by avid tourists who flock each day to a lakeside dock featured in the hit South Korean Netflix series 'Crash Landing On You,' often to snap souvenir photos.
Local leaders in Iseltwald and tourism officials insist the village's 406 inhabitants aren't getting rich off the influx of visitors, who pay 5 Swiss francs ($6.30) to access the dock. In 2024, entries brought in nearly 245,000 francs ($307,000), while a one-franc public pay toilet collected about 58,000 francs more, said village clerk Gabriela Blatter.
Proceeds have gone mostly to garbage disposal, restroom cleaning, additional work hours and custodial staff hires, she said.
Titia Weiland, manager of the Bönigen-Iseltwald Tourism agency, said the funds go right back to village upkeep: 'It's not correct to read it as 'the community gets rich',' alluding to some comments along those lines in the media and online.
The village, situated along a small peninsula that juts out into Lake Brienz, features majestic views of Alpine peaks over the water.
An episode in early 2020 of the cross-border Korean love story spotlighted the dock as a romantic getaway. That sparked online hype among fans of the series across Asia and beyond, which hasn't let up, fueling the rush of tourism to Iseltwald.
The continued influx has exposed growing pains for the Swiss village, like those faced by other tourist hotspots that get too much of a good thing.
Part of the problem is infrastructure: Iseltwald has three hotels and four restaurants, not enough for about 1,000 visitors who arrive by tour bus, public bus and car each day on average, according to Blatter.
The village is revamping a parking lot to help cope with the strain, and the only village store now operates 7 days a week. Previously, it was open Monday to Friday.
'There were always tourists in Iseltwald. We are happy with them. The problem is that the tourists don't understand what's private and what's public,' Blatter said, adding that some traipse through private yards and gardens. 'They go everywhere.'
For months, fans of the series could visit the dock for free until the turnstile was put up in 2023 to help offset costs incurred by the local government.
Not long ago, Weiland said, 'we were wishing for more tourists in Iseltwald: In some ways, we are thankful ... but it can be extreme.' Villagers who hosted the crews for on-site filming at the dock had no idea the series would become such a runaway success, she said.
The village has a website devoted to the 'filming location' of the series that lists transportation options and entreats visitors to respect the dock, refrain from littering, and consider the 'quiet atmosphere of this authentic Swiss village' by keeping noise down and avoiding private property.
'Enjoy your stay in beautiful Iseltwald and take with you memories to your home country!' the site says.
Jamey Keaten, The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
Tourist boat capsizes during a thunderstorm in Vietnam, leaving 37 dead
HA LONG BAY, Vietnam — A boat carrying tourists capsized during a sudden thunderstorm in Vietnam on Saturday afternoon during a sightseeing excursion, killing 37 people, state media reported. Five others remain missing. The Wonder Sea boat was carrying 48 passengers and five crew members -- all of them Vietnamese -- on a tour of Ha Long Bay, a popular destination, according to the reports. Rescue workers saved 11 people, and recovered the dead near the site of the capsizing, VNExpress newspaper said. Authorities revised the figure after earlier reporting that 12 people had been rescued. The boat turned upside down because of strong winds, the newspaper said. A 14-year-old boy was rescued after four hours trapped in the overturned hull. The newspaper said that most of the passengers were tourists, from Hanoi, including about 20 children. A tropical storm is also moving toward the area. A national weather forecast said that Storm Wipha is expected to hit Vietnam's northern region next week, including Ha Long Bay's coast.
CTV News
2 days ago
- CTV News
FedNor funds for Timmins tourism
Northern Ontario Watch FedNor handed out funding to 22 tourism-related organizations, including $392,000 for the Timmins festivals and events committee.
CBC
2 days ago
- CBC
Jasper businesses face slower peak tourism season 1 year after wildfire
Social Sharing Tourism is rebounding at Jasper National Park, but the influx of visitors to the mountain park isn't quite what it was before the wildfire of 2024, business owners say. "I do feel like it's slower than normal," Robert Logan, co-owner of Jasper Motorcycle Tours, said in an interview last week. He is one of several business owners who lost their brick-and-mortar spaces and are now working out of a pop-up village in a parking lot off Connaught Drive. "I kind of judge the streets of Jasper by parking spots and if people are carrying bags from shops where they buy gifts and stuff. And I could tell there's a bit of a drop in those numbers." Logan said he expects more tourists in Jasper soon, now that the Calgary Stampede has ended, including some who will want to see the aftermath of the wildfire. "People are just curious, you know — disaster tourism," he said. But Jasper is lacking places for people to stay overnight. Tourism Jasper estimates there are about 20 per cent fewer accommodations this season: hotel rooms, inns, short-term lodgings and campsites. Two motels in the townsite, Mount Robson Inn and the Maligne Lodge, were destroyed in the fire. Tekarra Lodge and Jasper House Bungalows off Highway 93A were also destroyed. Alpine Village lost some of its cabins and is now rebuilding. Only 30 per cent of the Wapiti Campground sites are available this year. Mike Day, a board member with Tourism Jasper and the owner of Evil Dave's Grill, said the decrease in accommodations helps explain the dip in visitors. "Twenty per cent for us, based on last year's evacuation, that could be … 4,000 people," Day told CBC News last week. "That's a lot of seats in restaurants and that's a lot of heads and beds that we just don't have." Annaja Davis, a guide with Jasper's Whitewater Rafting Company, said it's been pretty quiet compared to previous years. "Usually when you come down here, the streets are packed shoulder to shoulder," she said from the shop on Connaught Drive. "It's like, maybe 100 people are on the street. Not like 1,000. So much much slower." Day said the hospitality industry in general has hired fewer workers this year, because it's harder to secure housing for out-of-town workers since the town lost 800 residences in the fire. Visitor support On a sunny day in July, the sidewalks along Connaught Drive may not have been full, but some tourists were there to show support for the town. Christine Kilb, a returning visitor from B.C., was camping at Wabasso Campground last July when the fire started. She was among the 25,000 people evacuated from the national park. "I'm just proud to be able to come here and camp and enjoy the town," Kilb told CBC News last week. "It's beautiful. Even with the forests burnt, it's still beautiful." Sandra Beresh, a visitor from Hamilton, was in Jasper for the first time. She didn't know what to expect, but also didn't hesitate to make the trip. "My husband and I both wanted to support Jasper and we're happy we did. It's gorgeous." It was also an eye-opener, Beresh said in an interview last week. "When I was driving and I saw the devastation of the fires, it broke my heart. It was really so sad — people lost their homes, the wildlife and everything." Future of tourism Tourism Jasper is appealing to residents in Edmonton and Calgary to visit in the off-season. They've calculated that every year about 800,000 people from Edmonton and Calgary don't visit the national parks in Alberta. "So we're trying to get far more creative on how we're going to attract people this winter," Day said. "[With] a little plea for help from our friends in Edmonton." Logan, rebuilding his shop that used to be on Patricia Drive, is optimistic that things are on the right track.
