New tourism trends: how the approach to travel has changed in Luxembourg
In the summer of 2022, the residents of the Grand Duchy were traveling 36% more than in 2019 before the pandemic. The global tourism renaissance broke all records in the country, with only 24% of Luxembourgers staying home during the vacation season, according to Statec. Which other trends did the study find?
Destination unknown. With the limitation of international tourism, travelers have turned their attention to "domestic tourism": it is more resilient to global crises, helps develop the regions in the country, and is available to overall more people. Given the peak of local tourism in Luxembourg, travel outside Europe was not in demand: it showed a growth of 1% from the figures of the pre-crisis demand. Nevertheless, the recovery of international tourism continues, and it should be noted that in just 2 years the sphere has returned to its previous numbers. We can surely expect more progress. Traditional European destinations such as Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, and Italy remain popular with Luxembourgers. The residents have a special love for Portugal, that's not a secret.
Transport options. A significant part of the popular local truism is carried out by land transport. Over the covid period, Luxembourgers have grown fond of traveling by bus: the increase in popularity of this mode of transportation has jumped from as low as 0.4% in 2019, to 3% of travel by bus in 2022. At the same time, personal car travel has become more expensive due to rising fuel prices and therefore has lost its popularity. Despite people's eagerness to support environmental initiatives, the travel boom did increase air travel alongside, with 34% more flights than pre-crisis levels.
A matter of feeling, not of years. The overall number of people in Luxembourg who don't travel has dropped significantly since 2020. Unexpectedly, it also affected those of retirement age. Tourists ages 80-84 were traveling 16% more in the summer of 2022, and a little bit younger people, ages 70-74, were traveling almost 25% more than in 2020. Overall, residents ages 15 to 85 took about 205,000 near-term travel trips (within 300 miles) in the summer of 2022, an increase of 29% from two years ago.
Tourism is becoming more local and accessible. During the covid restrictions, people turned their attention to the vacation destinations their own country has to offer, but interest in traveling in Europe and around the world is definitely rebounding. Finally, after a decline in 2020, the trend of visiting cultural attractions, amusement parks, shows, and festivals is also making a comeback.
