"Enjoy Your Stay" at the Berlinale: a tale of exploitation in Alpine ski resorts

Undocumented Filipino migrant workers who slave away as cleaners in luxury Swiss ski resorts are given a voice in a new film created by a Swiss–Filipino duo. Swiss director Dominik Locher and Filipino screenwriter Honeylyn Joy Alipio spoke to Swissinfo following the premiere of Enjoy Your Stay at the Berlin International Film Festival. (Berlinale). With more than 23 million ski visitors a year since the pandemic, business is booming again in the Swiss Alps. The region’s “white gold” continues to seduce tourists from all over the world, promising a luxurious break from reality in which sport, relaxation and escapism are served in equal measure. As with all good things in life, however, someone must pay the price. Scratch beneath Switzerland’s postcard‑perfect image and a different reality emerges: the country’s prosperity relies heavily on migrant labour. Often undocumented, these workers toil in plain sight for low wages, propping up the Alpine economy while remaining largely ...