The average resident went on holiday 3.4 times in 2021, although staycations remained more popular than foreign destinations such as Spain.
According to a new report by Statec. the number of holidays rose again compared to pandemic-hit 2020. Luxembourgers undertook some 1.96 million trips over the course of 2021, 1.78 million of which were leisure trips. Just 10%, or 181,000 journeys, were classified as business trips.
The number of holidays increased when compared to 2020, which was marked by lockdowns and border closures, but Luxembourgers have still not regained their pre-pandemic fervour for foreign travel. Between 2017 and 2019, the average resident took around 4 trips per year - this figure dropped to 2.6 at the peak of the Covid crisis in 2020, rising to 3.4 trips in 2021.
77% of the population travelled abroad in 2021 - nearly reaching pre-pandemic levels. In 2020, just 70% went abroad. Citizens of other nationalities were more likely to take trips abroad for work or leisure purposes compared to Luxembourgers, with 80% of foreign nationals choosing to travel, compared to 74% with Luxembourgish nationality. Average income also played a role in travel, as the average income of households that travelled was almost 50 percent higher than the income of residents who did not travel last year.
Holidaymakers in 2021 opted to have slightly longer trips than before the pandemic, with the average stay lasting 7.8 nights.
96% of travellers visited destinations in Europe, with France proving the most popular with 24% of residents visiting. Belgium and Germany were in second and third place with 10% each, followed by Portugal, also with 10%. The Grand Duchy itself also attracted people seeking a staycation close to home, with 8% of travellers - more than Spain and Italy.
63% of trips were made in private vehicles, with 24% of holidaymakers travelling by plane, compared to 41% in 2019.
The survey on tourism in Luxembourg is conducted every quarter with a sample of between 5,000 and 6,000 residents aged between 15 and 85, taking into considerations holidays taken by the respondents in the last three months as well.
