At first glance, 2021 might not seem to have been the most favourable year for the tourism sector. With the continuing health crisis and bad weather, it looked like a poor year.
But the figures say otherwise. Compared to 2020, the number of tourists who have visited Luxembourg since the beginning of the year is up. Hotel arrivals, a major indicator of the strength of tourism, have risen by 14%, and camping arrivals by 68%. These are good figures, but they are still a long way from those for 2019 (a difference of 49% between 2019 and 2021 for hotel arrivals and 28% for campsites on a national scale).
According to the first available indicators, the evolution of tourist numbers in 2021 seems to have gradually improved over the year.
Slowly, therefore, tourism seems to be picking up. This improvement is growing month by month, as Alain Krier, head of research & media management at Luxembourg for Tourism, tells Paperjam: "According to the first available indicators, the evolution of tourist numbers in 2021 seems to have gradually improved over the year.
According to Statec, the best of the first six months of 2021 in terms of tourist arrivals in the country was, indeed, June, with 47,000 travellers. It should be noted that in June and July, Luxembourgers accounted for 20% of tourists in the country.
Apart from Luxembourg residents, the countries whose inhabitants visited the grand duchy the most were Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and France.
Nature stays in high demand
The occupancy indicators received from hotels are clearly better in the north and east of the country, due to a strong demand for outdoor and nature stays.
A small surprise: the capital does not seem to have been one of the most popular places for tourists. "The occupancy rate indicators that we received from hotels are clearly better in the north and east of the country, due to a strong demand for outdoor and nature stays," explains Alain Krier.
This is confirmed by the Statec through its latest statistics on arrivals in the country. All types of accommodation combined, the Ardennes, Gutland, Mullerthal, Moselle and the South counted about 10,000 more visitors than Luxembourg City, amounting to a total of almost 160,000.
The Vianden Tourist Office, which says that it had a "very good" summer, before adding that "at the end of the season, people still come to go hiking", seems to confirm this trend. The same goes for Péitche Lauer and its famous "MushRooms", a popular stop for cyclists: "We had a lot of people this summer.
Finally, at Camping & Bungalowpark Fuussekaul in Heiderscheid, spring was the best season: "We were fully booked from April to June. Even Easter was unheard of. People even took the bungalows without electricity!”
Originally published in French by and translated for Delano