Luxembourg government unveils plans to connect national cycle routes with landmarks

Two years after the previous government presented the broad strokes of a new strategy to promote sustainable tourism in Luxembourg, Minister of Tourism Lex Delles gave further details during a press conference on Tuesday morning.

Minister Delles explained that in addition to the ecological aspect, the strategy aims to strengthen social, cultural, and economic aspects.

As a multifaceted sector, tourism contributes to Luxembourg's national sustainable development goals, according to Delles. He highlighted three key elements of the government's strategy: sustainability management, providing a sustainable, touristic offer "for everyone", and sustainability communication.

In concrete terms, the strategy aims to make the sector more resilient as well as to measure and reduce CO2 emissions. Active tourism is to be promoted, with Delles specifically mentioning hiking tourism as a "flagship project" of Luxembourg's tourism sector.

As for cycling, the Minister announced plans to connect national cycling paths to points of interest, such as the excavation lakes in Remerschen or Vianden Castle, enabling tourists and residents to easily travel to these locations by bike.

In order to promote sustainable tourism in hospitality structures, the government has introduced the "EcoLabel." One establishment that has been recognised under this label is the City Hotel Luxembourg. Speaking on behalf of the hotel, Véronique Lariviere listed some of the actions taken by management, which included swapping plastic for glass bottles in guests' rooms, setting up a water dispenser for staff, and adhering to recycling guidelines. According to Lariviere, guests have responded well to the hotel's efforts.

As part of the "EcoLabel", hospitality structures are assessed in several categories, including the products they offer and whether they have been sourced locally.

Regarding communication and marketing, Minister Delles stressed that the focus will remain on inclusive tourism, domestic tourism, as well as attracting tourists from neighbouring countries and the Netherlands. In this context, it was highlighted that over 30% of all guests spending the night in Luxembourg travel less than 300km to the Grand Duchy.