‘Crash landing on us!’ Swiss village reels from Netflix fame
“It’s a dream come true,” said Filipina tourist Isabel Palijon, staring in wonder at a wooden pier framed by the turquoise waters of a Swiss lake and the towering Alps behind.
She is not alone. Ever since the hugely popular South Korean series Crash Landing on You (CLOY) aired a romantic scene shot on this very spot, the picturesque village of Iseltwald has been overrun by Asian tourists.
The Netflix hit tells the unlikely story of a South Korean billionaire heiress who accidentally paraglides into the peninsula’s demilitarized zone, crash-landing onto a chivalrous army officer serving North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Several flashbacks in the show take place in Switzerland, including a riveting romantic scene on Iseltwald’s wooden pier, where the male lead plays a beautiful piano melody that echoes across the water as the girl he will later fall in love with arrives by ferry from Interlaken.
Romantic
“I wish someday someone would do that for me,” said Jiah Hni Gwee, a 35-year-old from Malaysia, looking longingly at the spot on the pier where the piano stood. “It would be amazing and romantic.” to 1868. For 265 years, during the Edo period, no foreigner was allowed in and no Japanese was allowed out, but Nagasaki, one of only four gateways
She was among dozens of tourists milling around the lakeside on a sunny day in June, as a large steamboat bearing a giant Swiss flag pulled up to the nearby dock, teeming with visitors.
The breathtaking scenery and the romantic setting have made the pier a must-see for so-called “CLOY” fans who make it to Europe.
The 16-part series started airing just as Covid-19 began and it became a must-watch in much of Asia during pandemic lockdowns.
A South Korean culture ministry survey found that CLOY was the second-most popular K-drama show among foreign viewers in 2021 after Squid Game.
Overwhelming
But its success has caused an unexpected headache for Iseltwald, especially since last year when travel ish, the Russians, and the Americans, even Spanish missionaries.
There are nine other Europeanstyle mansions at the Glover Garden, restrictions were of Asia.
“The numbers have exploded,” local tourism office manager Titia Weiland told AFP, explaining that it was difficult to calculate how many CLOY tourists had come but estimated that “for every local person living here, it’s been 1,000 visitors.”
She stressed that “almost everybody in Iseltwald—population 400— is happy to have many tourists,” but acknowledged “it has been quite overwhelming.”
Last summer, up to 20 coaches began arriving each day, clogging lifted across much traffic and sometimes blocking access to the village.
Locals complain that CLOY fans typically rush to the pier for a picture before moving on, often leaving a mess but little money.
In a bid to deal with the influx, the municipality announced in May that
Puccini stands, just outside the Glover Mansion, which offers perhaps the most picturesque view of the harbor. The Italian composer is said only pre-booked coaches that pay for reserved parking spots would be let in. It installed a turnstile at the pier, which tourists can pass for a “selfie fee” of five Swiss francs ($5.50).
Paradise on Earth
Sonja Hornung, the manager of the Strand Hotel that overlooks the pier, said the measures had made a difference and her restaurant gives customers a turnstile token.
“Last year, it was terrible, (but) it has gotten much better,” she said, hailing the slot system that has dramatically reduced the number of coaches.
Some tourists, however, were a bit dismayed by the turnstile—and the price.
“Oh, five francs!” Florita Lichtensteiger, a 64-year-old Filipina living in Switzerland, exclaimed as she showed up with several visiting relatives.
She grudgingly paid for them to go through, but did not follow, saying she had been here at least 10 times before. “All my guests want to see this place,” she said.
“It’s not worth it,” said Nayeon Park, a 21-year-old from South Korea.
Only pre-booked coaches that pay for reserved parking spots are let into Iseltwald’s now famous wooden pier. There’s a turnstile at the pier, which tourists can pass for a ‘selfie fee’ of five Swiss francs ($5.50)
Weiland insisted that the payment was needed for the upkeep of the pier, which had seen the number of people walking on it skyrocket. “It has to be safe,” she said. “Iseltwald is like paradise on Earth. We want to really try to keep it that way.” (AFP)
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