Almost three million trips
In 2022, Luxembourg residents made 3m trips for almost 20m overnight stays. Business trips accounted for 11% of stays and 6% of overnight stays. The remaining trips (89%) are considered “leisure” trips. Holiday trips account for the vast majority of all trips (53%), while visits to family and friends account for a very large proportion (32%)--the reason being related, says the report, to Luxembourg’s large immigrant population.
36 nights away from home
In 2022, residents spent an average of 36 nights away from home on business and/or leisure trips. Statec reasons that the high number is related to making up for lost travel opportunities from 2020 and 2021. Another explanation is the introduction of teleworking into the daily lives of many residents, which has given them greater flexibility in their travel plans, greater anticipation of departures and the possibility of extending their stays by including teleworking days.
Just over one business trip a year
The level of business tourism is still below that of 2019, at just over one business trip a year on average. “Obviously,” says the report, “the development of video-conferencing is one of the reasons for the decline in business tourism. In fact, it is possible that business tourism will never return to the levels seen in 2019 and before. In 2022, inflation will also have a dampening effect on travel.” The statistics bureau also points out that women, young people and people with lower levels of responsibility in the company are no longer going away as often.
Border countries and beyond
The countries most visited by Luxembourg residents were, and remain, border countries. France takes the cake with 23% of visits, while Germany accounts for 11% of stays and Belgium for 8%. Three other countries are hot on Belgium’s heels, however: Italy, Spain and Portugal (7-8% each). Half of all holidays take place in towns and cities. Residents also like the seaside (33%) and the countryside (25%) more than the mountains (13%).
Car, hotel, rest
In 2022, 54% of leisure trips were made by private car, five points more than in 2019. Conversely, 35% of trips were made by plane in 2022, compared with 41% in 2019. 43% of residents will stay in hotels, compared with 36% in free accommodation (including second homes), and 68% of holidaymakers will take advantage of their stay to rest. It should be noted that the pandemic boosted the number of people doing sports in 2020, and this figure has now risen to 30%, almost on a par with cultural outings.
€1,253 per person
While the average expenditure per stay is €1,253, all inclusive, this figure masks a number of disparities. In terms of annual expenditure, the most disadvantaged households spend just €990 per stay and per person, compared to €1,480 for the most affluent. The annual bill goes from €3,600 for the least well-off to more than €10,000 on the high end. For business travellers, this figure hits €1,500.
More than €3bn spent
Total spending by residents rose sharply from 2016 to 2019, from €2.1bn to €3.34bn (an increase of 58%), following a period of 11% growth between 2012 and 2015. By 2021, the latest figure available, the total had risen to €3.32bn, 87% of which was spent abroad. And total tourism spending in Luxembourg was expected to reach €3.7bn in 2021 (€3.26bn by non-residents and €444m by residents).
The Mullerthal beckons
Last year saw 205,744 walkers, an increase of 26% on 2021. Favourable weather conditions and an uptick in overnight stays in the Mullerthal region contributed to this rise.
More Dutch, Belgians and Germans than Asians
The top three home countries of visitors to Luxembourg are still the Netherlands (223,000 visitors), Belgium (180,000) and Germany (172,000). Notably, since the health crisis, the number of tourists from Asia has fallen from 59,000 arrivals in 2019 to just 25,000 in 2022, a drop of almost 60%.
38,298 jobs in tourism
Employment in tourism is relatively stable at 38,298 jobs. In 2021, says Statec, the catering sector will employ almost half of all people working in tourism (46%), ahead of road transport services (12%); cultural, sporting and leisure services (also 12%); accommodation services (9%); and air transport services (8%).
This article in French in Paperjam. It has been translated and edited for Delano.