AI and sustainability take centre stage at Luxembourg Tourism Summit

The Luxembourg City Tourist Office (LCTO) on Thursday hosted the Luxembourg Tourism Summit, which focused on modern challenges and future aspirations for the industry. AI with its ability to speed up certain processes and make them more convenient was a major discussion point. For example, AI can enable communication in your native language anywhere in the world, or organise a complete trip from start to finish.

The possibilities are increasing exponentially, explained LCTO director Antje Voss in conversation with RTL: "One of our missions at the LCTO is therefore to provide the impetus, and that's exactly what we're doing here [at the Summit]. With many other destinations already using a lot of AI in tourism, we are part of a programme involving 60 destinations to see how we can do the same. What are the risks? And how can we help?"

Tourism is changing, the world is becoming more and more contradictory, explained Luxembourg-born science journalist Ranga Yogeshwar, who also gave a presentation at the summit. He noted that while people do want more sustainability, it is also noticeable that multinational platforms such as Booking and Airbnb seem to completely dominate the market.

Yogeshwar stressed: "So on the one hand we use the technology, and on the other hand we want to have a say as to where we don't want it. We have fantastic apps, but when it comes to food we want to know exactly where it comes from, so of natural origin and without preservatives. And it will be similar in tourism. In other words, we're saying that 'not everything has to be technological, but authentic'. When people ask me what the future of Luxembourg tourism is, I always say: Kachkéis. That is authentic."

As for sustainability, all players have to add their weight; a single sustainable hotel is not enough, agreed representatives at the Summit. People usually only think about standard things like the towel in the hotel room, says Ranga Yogeshwar: "I think it's more a question of culture, which is not only felt in the hotel, but everywhere. Take a sustainable hotel in a non-sustainable city, for example: that is a discrepancy that everyone notices."

At the end of the day, tourism is a shared responsibility, argued François Krepp, member of the LCTO directors' board. He further noted that the state and the City of Luxembourg need to work together with all stakeholders to see how they can get on the right track.