The LCTO reports that 102,960 visitors came to the capital’s tourist information office in 2022. Nader Ghavami

The LCTO reports that 102,960 visitors came to the capital’s tourist information office in 2022. Nader Ghavami

Foreign tourists have returned to Luxembourg City in force, with the number of visitors during the peak season nearly as high as before the pandemic, Luxembourg City Tourist Office announced on 19 January. The LCTO is optimistic for the 2023 season.

Hit hard by the covid-19 pandemic, the tourism industry in the capital bounced back in 2022 and there is reason to be optimistic for 2023, said the Luxembourg City Tourist Office (LCTO). Despite a 22% annual drop in visitors, the LCTO reported welcoming almost as many tourists during the peak season and long weekends in 2022 as during the pre-pandemic year of 2019.

In 2022, 102,960 people came to the capital’s tourist information office, with visitors from Germany the most numerous (27,248), followed by people from France (17,487), from the Netherlands (14,808), from Luxembourg (7,210) and from Belgium (5,995).

“Resonance tourism”

The LCTO has developed a new strategy--resonance tourism--in order to provide tourists with an authentic travel experience. Visitors are therefore considered as temporary residents, as LCTO director explained in a .

Bellion highlighted the focus on developing products that give visitors the opportunity to discover the unexpected and to feel the “good vibes” of the city in his carte blanche. He also emphasised the importance of quality rather than quantity in both leisure tourism and business events, saying that “quality takes it all.”

Most popular activities

The reopening of the Pétrusse casemates was the key event of 2022, with light and sound effects animating the rocks. The LCTO reports that 8,504 people have visited the casemates.

Other popular activities include the guided tours of the capital’s grand ducal palace--5,195 visitors participated in palace tours, which corresponds to a record attendance rate of 99%--as well as walking tours of the capital. Most of the guided walking tours are conducted in French, German and English, compared to 2021, when Luxembourgish was more common.

Increase in digital visits

The LCTO also reported that 944,964 people visited their website--an increase of 58% from the pre-pandemic year of 2019. Five out of six tickets (83%) were sold online, but physical presence remains present, as the rest were sold in person at the capital’s tourist information office.

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