Tourism

The importance of tourism

In recent decades, the different factors that influence tourism have continued to evolve and develop.

Within society, travelling has become a priority for consumers: travelling is no longer considered a luxury product, it fulfils a real need. Consequently, the Deutsche Reiseanalyse [1] travel survey, places travelling second in the list of consumer priorities, after food products. Furthermore, according to Oxford Economics, the part of the household budget devoted to travelling reached 10% of the total household budget in Europe in 2023.

Similarly, the economic importance of tourism on a global scale is constantly increasing. UN Tourism estimated that, on a global scale, the number of international arrivals was 1.3 billion in 2023 and that international tourism's contribution to global GDP is at 3%. In the Grand Duchy, 0.8% of the GDP and over 40,000 jobs are directly linked to tourism.

But the economic value of the sector is not only reflected by the figures:  business events (conventions, conferences, similar events) are a tool that help the economic promotion of the country. These events are networking platforms that attract researchers, experts, politicians, investors and talent and thus make up an ecosystem that is conducive to innovation and investment.

Furthermore, the impact of tourism and tourist promotion on the Grand Duchy's brand image is substantial, and visitor satisfaction is excellent:   according to traveller surveys conducted by Luxembourg for Tourism (LFT GIE), 96% would recommend the Grand Duchy as a destination and 91% estimate that as a destination, "Luxembourg" exceeded their expectations. The image of the Grand Duchy that is spread across the world through tourism, is good with, on average, very positive connotations.

The General Directorate for Tourism

The Ministry of the Economy's General Directorate for Tourism supports the development of the tourist infrastructure and is responsible for managing state aids intended for investors and stakeholders in tourism.

The General Directorate is responsible for defining the development strategy for the destination of Luxembourg within the areas of leisure tourism and business events.

Tourism strategy for Luxembourg

The long-term vision for tourism in Luxembourg is set out as follows:

Mënschen, Regiounen an Ekonomie: de wäertorientéierten Tourismus als aktiven Dreiwer fir méi Liewens- an Openthaltsqualitéit.

This vision expresses the fact that tourism is not an end in itself, but that it has an active role to play for people, the regions and the economy.

Luxembourg has made a clear commitment to tourism, an economic sector that does not exist "by accident", but which is recognised, appreciated and promoted. Within this context, it is deliberately backing a type of tourism that is founded on quality and value creation. Tourism in Luxembourg strengthens the regions in terms of their assets and special features, as well as regional and local economic circuits. Any investment in tourism also constitutes an investment in the quality of life of residents. Finally, a tourist destination gradually increases its accessibility for everyone and resolutely encourages sustainable development at a social, economic, cultural and ecological level.

Financial aid

The General Directorate for Tourism supports tourism professionals, non-profit associations (asbl) and the municipalities through different types of aid that you can find at Luxembourgtravel.lu.

The "services to businesses" section provides an overview of all the types of aid the ministry gives to businesses.

[1] Representative Survey of the Forschungsgemeinschaft Urlaub und Reisen e.V.