Tourism in Luxembourg is facing a number of challenges:
Offer quality: this small destination that is not well known to tourists requires an increasingly high-quality of offer and service to stand out from the competition,
Tourist structures: at national, regional and local level, tourist structures need to be more professionalised if they are to meet the current and future challenges of the tourist industry,
Digitalisation: the tourist sector will need to adapt to rapid developments,
Accessibility: the tourist offer needs to develop so that it becomes accessible to everybody,
Statistics: timely delivery of reliable data is crucial for tracking trends in tourism and adapting accordingly,
New growth markets: it is essential to adapt the offer to attract tourists from new growth markets,
Innovation: developing and supporting innovative tourism products,
Transparency: ensuring transparency in the tourism offer, especially in the hospitality sector.
In recent years, the Luxembourg government has put together a new medium- to long-term strategy for the tourist industry, in close collaboration with national and regional bodies, and based on a participatory approach. The strategy will shortly be made public.
A bill has been tabled to allow government to subsidise delivery of a tenth five-year plan for boosting tourist infrastructure (2018-2022), supporting tourism professionals in their efforts to develop tourism in Luxembourg and broaden the country’s tourism offer. This will include tourism projects initiated by municipalities, associations, non-profit organisations and private investors, as well as the owners or operators of various kinds of tourist accommodation. The new five-year plan will also continue to subsidise the costs of investment in programmes for certification of service quality.
To encourage development of a high-quality offer and ensure the greatest possible transparency, in 2017 the government launched a new hotel classification system. Already operated in many European countries under the patronage of HOTREC, Hotelstars Union offers a harmonised hotel classification with common criteria across Europe. Participation offers increased transparency and security to guests, enhancing the reputation and quality of hotels in its member countries. The Ministry is implementing this classification in close collaboration with HORESCA, the hotel federation. A new classification for camping sites will be rolled out in autumn 2017.
Hiking holidays are a major tourism niche for the country, and the focus on infrastructure quality for this market segment over the past ten years has led to two of its major trails being awarded the highly coveted European label “Leading Quality Trails – Best of Europe”.
Analysis of the current offer and benchmarking against the best European offers provide the basis for Luxembourg to compete with top performers in hiking tourism by 2020. With rising expectations in a competitive growth market, it will be essential to invest in clear, effective signposting, digital support and high-quality hiking infrastructure across the country. The new concept encompasses not only the trail network, but also local accommodation and food services, tourist attractions and cultural sights, as well as all forms of mobility.
A further specific priority has been given to the development and promotion of the MICE market in Luxembourg, where the MICE Luxembourg cluster was established by the Ministry of the Economy in 2015. In addition, the government is working with the sector to implement a number of development projects, including a timetable for MICE events, business quality guidelines, and a Green Meetings project designed to promote and showcase ecologically responsible events (Box 1.11).
