According to the Washington Post, since then the village of Iseltwald, which has just 400 inhabitants, has constantly attracted visitors from all over the world Crash landing on you aired between 2019 and 2020. Once a quiet stop rarely noticed by international tourists, the village has since become a must-see destination for K-drama fans.
Crash landing on you tells the story of Yoon Se-ri (Son Ye-jin), a South Korean chaebol heiress who accidentally paraglides into North Korea, and Ri Jeong-hyeok (Hyun Bin), a North Korean officer who hides and protects her, eventually falling in love. The series has become a global phenomenon, playing an important role in the expansion of the worldwide K-drama wave.
One particular filming location in Iseltwald captured the hearts of fans: the lakeside pier where Ri Jeong-hyeok is seen playing the piano while remembering his late brother during his time studying in Switzerland. It is also the place where Yoon Se-ri accidentally hears music during her journey. Since then, the once little-used pier has transformed into a symbolic “place of pilgrimage” for fans.
The Washington Post reported that Stefanie and Caleb Rouse, a couple from Pittsburgh, visited Iseltwald in October last year and waited nearly two hours just to get on the pier and take photos. While waiting, they chatted with other fans of the drama from Korea and Japan. Once on the dock, they played the drama’s OST to recreate the scene. “With music playing and the sun setting, it looked incredibly sweet and romantic,” shared Stefanie Rouse.
Local tourism officials explained that although the pier was originally built as a docking point for boats, it was rarely used in practice. Everything changed after the drama aired and the location quickly gained international fame. Tourist numbers dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic, but after the borders reopened in 2022, the village began welcoming up to 1,000 visitors a day.
The sudden influx, however, brought challenges. Iseltwald lacked the infrastructure to handle mass tourism, which led to congestion, traffic problems and disruptions to residents’ daily lives. Some locals even reported tourists wandering into private gardens and residential areas.
In response, local authorities limited tour buses to two every two hours and installed a gated entry system at the pier, charging an admission fee of five Swiss francs. As a result, Iseltwald reportedly earned around $307,000, approximately KRW 450 million, in pier admission fees in 2024 alone.
However, tourism officials note that revenue growth has begun to level off, as many visitors now choose to take photos near the pier rather than enter it. Even so, the enduring popularity of Crash landing on you continues to bring global attention and steady economic benefits to this once sleepy Swiss village.
Sources: Nate
