Lauterbrunnen, victim of its own success

With its 72 waterfalls, secluded valleys, colourful alpine meadows and picturesque mountain inns, the Lauterbrunnen Valley is one of the biggest nature conservation areas in Switzerland. RTS-SWI

For many, Lauterbrunnen is a picture-postcard setting. Its waterfalls, cliffs and quintessential Swiss village, shared endlessly on social networks, have made the town’s popularity soar.

It’s a success that’s increasingly unwelcome by the people in the small town in the Bernese Alps, which has seen hordes of tourists pour in.

Lauterbrunnen is undoubtedly one of Switzerland’s most iconic destinations. With its breathtaking views, the village has everything to seduce visitors in search of beautiful scenery and authenticity. Many tourists come from far away to see the views for themselves.

Tourists have been flocking to Lauterbrunnen, which has some local residents concerned. RTS-SWI

“This is the second time we’ve come here today, because it’s so beautiful… We walked to capture the most beautiful panoramas and to be able to show them to family, friends and publish them on social networks. We love it,” summed up one American tourist speaking with Swiss public television, RTS. She came here with her husband from Connecticut.

The magic of social networking

The village’s tourism promotion largely relies on social networks. A winning strategy, to the great satisfaction of the Tourist Office. “We have here one of the most beautiful valleys in the world, and with social networks, photos are seen all over the world, which brings us a huge number of tourists,” says Tourism director Thomas Durrer.

On Thursday, between 5,000 and 6,000 tourists visited the Bernese village, which has a year-round population of just 800.

Concern about the tourism increase

For Karl Näpflin, president of the town, however, mass tourism is difficult to manage, as it wasn’t anticipated to reach such a scale. “The trouble is, we weren’t expecting this. It’s increased enormously. After the pandemic, there were more every year, and we’ve never had as many as this summer,” he says.

While Lauterbrunnen is well aware that tourism is the lifeblood of the village, the new influx is nevertheless a cause for concern. “In the summer, there’s been an explosion in tourism compared with the past. And we have a lot of day-trippers. No one in the village enjoys this way of life anymore,” says Paul von Allmen, a former hotelier in the village.

There are plans to widen roads and sidewalks and to build underground parking lots. But these changes, which won’t cut down on the number of visitors, have some worried that Lauterbrunnen could lose its charm.