In an interview with our colleagues from RTL Radio, Sebastian Reddeker, Director General of LFT, stated that while the numbers are nearly back to pre-pandemic levels, there is room for growth in the hotel sector.
On the other hand, the camping sector has already surpassed 2019 figures, and the country is witnessing a shift away from tourism being solely focused on the summer season, with more people choosing to holiday in Luxembourg during autumn and winter.
LFT is placing greater emphasis on the perception of tourists and their post-visit feedback rather than solely relying on traditional indicators such as overnight stays and arrivals.
Online travel portals, where tourists express their opinions, have become crucial in evaluating Luxembourg’s image as a tourist destination. LFT tries to gauge tourists’ perception of Luxembourg before and after their visit to better understand their expectations and experiences.
Regarding over-tourism, Reddeker addressed the issue, mentioning places like Vianden, known for its picturesque castle and recently recognised by CNN as one of the world’s most beautiful castles.
Though tourist intensity is relatively high in Vianden, Luxembourg is still below the European average in this regard.
The challenge lies in managing “the perception of overcrowding,” as Reddeker highlighted that only 2% of customers in surveys and 6% of Luxembourgers felt that their experiences were impacted by excessive crowding.
To tackle over-tourism, LFT is exploring innovative solutions, including presenting tourists with a diverse range of options during the planning stage.
The Grand Duchy has much more to offer than just its well-known sites, and LFT uses its app and the “Luci” magazine to promote alternative destinations.
In addition, LFT is empowering tourists to make informed choices by implementing a “traffic light system” at places like the Upper Sûre Lake, indicating crowd levels with colours like red, yellow, or green.
This system could “definitely” be implemented in other places as well, according to the general director of Luxembourg for Tourism.
