Nine years ago, the National Tourism Office was transformed into the economic interest group Luxembourg for Tourism (LFT).

This reorganisation brought together municipalities and various regional offices under a simplified national structure responsible for international marketing, but the challenges remain significant.

Listen to the report in Luxembourgish:

Luxembourg for Tourism huet genuch Defien (Reportage Marc Hoscheid)

This is evidenced by the fact that there are now 28 people working for LFT, 21 in Kirchberg and seven in the Éislek. Though their efforts are not in vain as their 2023 report shows impressive results, with nearly 3.5 million overnight stays in Luxembourg by 1.5 million tourists. However, there is still room for growth, particularly among visitors from France and Germany, the two largest neighbouring countries, as explained by LFT's General Director, Sebastian Reddeker.

"We still have lots of potential for growth in terms of tourists coming from Germany. On the other hand, we've also seen significant growth in the camping sector, with a 31% increase in 2023 compared to 2019, and many new guests from Germany. This shows that in segments where Luxembourg is strong, we can attract clients from other markets as well, traditionally from the Netherlands, for example."

Of course LFT cannot be present everywhere so it hones in on large urban centres like Cologne, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, and Stuttgart. These areas are not far from Luxembourg and have significant purchasing power.

According to Sebastian Reddeker, one of the biggest challenges is protecting the "Visit Luxembourg" brand in the digital world. Social media, in particular, often comes with unsavoury comments and statements.

"We faced a difficult situation where we collaborated with a gay couple who traveled through Luxembourg and shared their experiences. Shortly after posting the video on social media we quickly received numerous negative comments criticising Luxembourg and its openness, using language I would rather not repeat here."

Reddeker continued to explain, "We had our hands full trying to mitigate the situation. As a type of state entity, LFT has a duty to defend the country's values. The reputation of the brand is also at stake. While the exact value of the 'Visit Luxembourg' label cannot yet be fully quantified, it is clear that it has a positive impact on the Grand Duchy's reputation abroad."