FOR Filipina tourist Isabel Palijon, looking at the wooden pier framed by the turquoise waters of a Swiss lake and the towering Alps behind was "a dream come true" as the view was the backdrop to the widely popular South Korean series "Crash Landing on You."A romantic scene was shot on this very spot, the picturesque village of Iseltwald, which has since been overrun by Asian tourists like Palijon. CRASH LANDING ON ISELTWALD Tourists take photographs on the famous pier of a South Korean Netflix series in the village of Iseltwald at the shore of Lake Brienz, in the Swiss Alps, on June 2, 2023. Ever since a hugely popular South Korean series on Netflix featured a romantic scene in this very spot, the picturesque lakeside village of Iseltwald, with a population of around 400 people, has found itself overrun by tourists. PHOTO BY FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP The Netflix hit tells the unlikely story of a South Korean billionaire heiress, played by Son Ye-jin, who accidentally paraglides into the peninsula's demilitarized zone, crashing landing onto a chivalrous army officer, played by Hyun Bin, 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 Hyun plays a beautiful piano melody that echoes across the water as Son whom he will later fall in love with arrives by ferry from Interlaken.'Romantic' Get the latest news delivered to your inbox Sign up for The Manila Times’ daily newsletters By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. "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."She was among dozens of tourists milling around the lakeside on a sunny day last week, as a large steamboat bearing a giant Swiss flag pulled up to the nearby dock, teeming with 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 restrictions were lifted across much of Asia. "The numbers have exploded," local tourism office manager Titia Weiland told said 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 traffic and sometimes blocking access to the locals complain that CLOY fans typically rush to the pier for a picture before moving on, often leaving a mess but little a bid to deal with the influx, the municipality last month announced only pre-booked coaches that pay for reserved parking spots will be let it installed a turnstile at the pier, which tourists can pass for a "selfie fee" of five Swiss francs $ 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 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 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.""It's not worth it," said Nayeon Park, a 21-year-old from South 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."Iseltwald "is like paradise on Earth," she said. "We want to really try to keep it that way."