Lungern municipality cracks down Tourists grope locals and invade apartments

Lungern am See in the canton of Obwalden attracts tourists in droves. But they don't always behave appropriately. Now the municipality is reacting.

Lungern, with its emerald-green lake and colossal Alpine landscape, offers tourists a breathtaking panorama. The famous series "Crash Landing on You" in particular has turned Lungern into a hotspot for Asian tourists.

However, some of the thousands of visitors every year do not behave at all respectfully towards the locals. "They traipse into our gardens and take photos of our houses. But that's not all: my children play half-naked in the swimming pool and are photographed. That's not acceptable!" one resident told "20 Minuten".

Another resident of Lungern complains: "They come with their suitcases, walk through the village and then disappear again. So economically, tourism hardly brings us anything." Lungern is in a similar situation to the picturesque Swiss mountain village of Lauterbrunnen. There, too, people groan under the weight of day tourists who just pop in for a quick cell phone photo and then leave again. The municipality there now wants to charge a fee in the fight against excessive tourism.

Blonde children photographed

Lungern is (still) taking a different approach. The municipality provides the people of Lungern with prohibition signs free of charge. These can be placed in the garden or hung up at the entrances to properties.

Residents are particularly annoyed by tourists who touch children. The school's supervisor has already reported several times that blonde children have been photographed or even touched, reports "20 Minuten". Some even do not stop at private homes and gardens. Vacation guests often enter the private areas of locals without asking first.

First measure: prohibition signs

Since the end of the coronavirus pandemic, Lungern has seen a rapid increase in day tourists. "Lungern was not prepared for such a rapid increase," explains Andreas Kammer, Managing Director of the municipality.

According to Kammer, the prohibition signs are among the "short-term measures". Some signs have already been put up by residents in the town center. "A minority is effectively affected, but we also want to do them justice."

Criticism from restaurateurs

Daniel Scardino, Managing Director of Obwalden Tourism, advises the population to "be tolerant and patient". The tourism company is currently working with the municipality to develop preventative measures to better manage visitor guidance.

Some restaurateurs in Lungern cannot understand why prohibition signs have been put up in their municipality. They are happy about the influx of visitors from abroad. "Tourists make up half of our clientele. Without them, we would be in a bad position," says a restaurant employee.