After tourists from South Korea practically took over the small Swiss village of Iseltwald last summer, the town’s 397 inhabitants have decided that enough is enough - now, the number of tourists visiting the village will be limited and those that do go will have to pay new fees. The town became popular with tourists from Asia after the Korean drama “Crash Landing on You” was filmed in the area and rose to fame on Netflix around the world.
Coaches for Netflix tourists will face strict rules
The town’s mayor Peter Rubi told SRF that coaches heading to the village will now be picked up by a security service as soon as they exit the motorway. “Only those buses that have previously reserved and paid a fee are allowed to continue to the village square”, Mayor Rubi added.
Last summer, thousands of tourists arrived in large tour buses, blocking the road to the village and making it difficult for locals to get to their own homes. Iseltwald's brief appearance in the K-drama Crash Landing on You last year has put the town on the map, with many South Korean couples travelling to Canton Bern to see where some of the most memorable and romantic scenes in the series were shot.
The mayor stated that as it is difficult to know how many tourists are going to arrive in the village this summer, it can be hard to plan what measures are necessary. "One way or another, we'll get the situation under control," the mayor said. "This is also important to ensure the quality of stays for regular tourists that are not heading to the village for a Netflix tour."
Tourists now charged five Swiss francs for a selfie
One of the other measures introduced by the local community is charging five francs for access to a jetty on the town’s lake, which was popularised by a highly romantic scene in the Netflix series. The municipality installed a turnstile on the pier in April 2023 in order to charge tourists who want to take photographs and selfies on the jetty.
Despite this, PostBus has been working hard to expand its timetable to keep bringing tourists to the village. From June 1, the public transport operator is set to start running an express line and a double-decker bus to the town as well.