A snapshot of Luxembourg

 

Late last month, representatives from a number of ministries and financial partners of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg conducted, somewhat necessarily they though, a round-table entitled ‘Luxembourg as seen from abroad’. Decide for yourselves. Represented were the Ministries for Foreign Affairs, Tourism and the Middle Classes, Culture, Economy and Foreign Trade, Information and Press from the government, as well as Luxembourg for Business and Luxembourg for Finance.

Is the situation so dire? This round-table was in fact part of four featured items on the home page of the tourismministry (department of economy), which had already commissioned films two years ago which humorously decried the caricatures often drawn of Luxembourg. What is more, Paperjam, Luxembourg’s hippest business magazine announced the round-table like this: “Luxembourg’s motto mir wëlle bleiwe wat mir sinn (we want to remain who we are) throws proves a stumbling block”, while artist Serge Tonnar, one of the participants, seemingly aimed to cause a stir by sasying this: “we want remain who we are, yet we don’t actually know who that is!”

Plateau du Kirchberg

The views of the country were derived both from the Nation Brands Index (NBI), to which Luxembourg first joined in 2011, and from a survey which, if the organisers are to be believed, targeted 20,000 people and several hundred responded. In the responses we see two polar opinions in Europe: ‘tax haven’ and ‘farm country’.  If read optimistically, this could denote a general view of Luxembourg as a stable and welcoming country which conserves nature. This would explain its positive reputation among Chinese tourists, which I mentioned on 13 March. However, the Grand Duchy appears to be having great trouble ridding itself of old clichés when it comes to the rest of Europe, an injury to which the news website 3/5/2 adds this insult: “outside of Europe, the question is not even asked, since the country is virtually unknown.”

Branding, which at present is wholly occupying the world of European tourism as it reflects upon a brand Europe as well as a European tourism quality label, must naturally take each European country as a separate entity and yet gather them all together as a collective. The notion of a site’s individuality and Europeanness is a two-sided question which the new European Heritage Label will have to answer. What can the European Commission create in terms of a next level of quality standards, into which the tourism label could incorporate existing national standards, some of which come with incentives?

The best agers

But let’s get back to Luxembourg. Every year, the Vakanz fair provides a preview to the European tourism fairs. It is certainly more modest in its ambitions than Berlin, Madrid or Milan, but it nevertheless it plays an important role for its surrounding area which crosses the border between the French- and German-speaking worlds. What was it the 2012 edition’s press release said? “In keeping with previous years, promoting tourism is still at the top of the agenda, and this year we are focusing on a new central theme. After gastronomy in 2010 and active tourism in 2011, 2012 tourism promotion will be targeted at a specific customer base: the ‘best agers’.” I myself should be interested for more than one reason. Firstly, I am over the 50-year age line, perhaps by quite a way. Secondly, I have had the privilege of being a constant tourist at an age which sits squarely within the targeted 15-year range, a range in which I shall stay for some time before I end up a ‘worst ager’. It must be said, however, that this “strong-purchasing-power” target is not being pursued only in Luxembourg but across all of Europe, since “They contribute 50% of the total personal wealth in Germany and more than 40% of the total purchasing power in the European Union.” The studies also show that “journeys taken by Europeans of 55 years and over have increased by 17% between 2005 and 2010. The market share of this age group represents 27% of all trips abroad taken in 2010, which adds up to 78 million trips (not including business trips). Nature, culture, historical heritage, wellness, relaxation, gastronomy, regional products and walking or cycling paths are the principal travel themes for this customer base, the interests of which generally fall under the heading “savoir-vivre”.

A large portion of cross-border cultural tourism’s clientele, therefore!

The Grund quarter

Yet given its still rather caricatured image, how can the Grand Duchy attract the group’s three socially and stylistically-defined subcategories? The ‘hedonists’, whose preference is comfort (luxury, even), high-quality cuisine, relaxation and wellness. They like to enjoy life and spend time with their family and friends. In general, they have a substantial budget to spend. The ‘enthusiastic’ travellers, who are very active, partake in many activities on their travels and seek out enriching discoveries and experiences. Finally there are the ‘cultural explorers’, who prefer museum tours, cultural sites, historical heritage and cultural events. They cultivate a rather elite lifestyle, they thirst for culture and they are particularly critical and demanding.

 

Cycling in Mullerthal

Ways to meet this potential demand can naturally be found in ‘best-agers special’ Best of Luxembourg magazine which can be downloaded in French, German and Dutch from the Ministry for Culture website. The three targeted groups mentioned above can indeed for what they want and need in this magazine, but unsurprisingly I headed straight to the article ‘Europe is part of Luxembourgish identity’. 

Written by the National Tourist Office’s Director, and brilliant historian, Louis Philippart, it leaves nothing unsaid. We might even dream that other European countries follow the same multicultural approach. In a few words, “Although today the fortress ofLuxembourg is part of UNESCO world heritage, this monumental piece of military engineering also tells of how the local population lived alongside foreign garrisons, starting with Luxembourg annexation by Burgundy in 1443 and thus the loss of the independence it had enjoyed in the Middle Ages. The French, the Spanish, the Austrians and the Prussians have all taken turns occupying the fortress walls. So, Luxembourg has a long tradition of different nations living together. As part of the Spanish Netherlands, the Austrian Netherlands, or the Forêts region of France, Lauxembourg learned to grow from inside a larger community. Furthermore, on a religious level, the former Duchy of Luxembourg, which became a Grand Duchy in 1815, was divided into four dioceses, which explains the great cultural diversity of its religious heritage. Only in 1870 did Luxembourg become an independent diocese and, in 1988, an archdiocese.”

The National Tourist Office website provides all the cultural and tourist information one could need. Those who want to know more can also visit the website for the cultural routes of the Council of Europe in the partner's territories of the Greater Region.

I would also like to contribute some of my treasured memories from my years in Luxembourg’s company, for which I can simply refer to a number of posts that I wrote in 2006, when I first resolved to write regularly online.

Emaischen

 

Words from the exiled

When you live in the Grand Duchy, not only that but in an historic village such as Echternach, which is part of Mullerthal – or ‘Little Switzerland’ – traditionally one of the most touristic areas, you have every right to feel privileged. There are an infinite number of paths to stroll or cycle down through the undergrowth, where natural springs gush to the surface. What is more, a Mill-Man-Trail has been scheduled for 22 April, and the first Europiades will take place between 7 and 9 September. The annual dancing procession, performed in honour of Saint Willibrord, is a moving occasion which, despite finally being enshrined on the World Heritage List, has held on to its authenticity and conviviality. I haven’t even mentioned the music festival, which has itself given me genuine moments of happiness.

In truth, I have felt happiest as a tourist when on foot or on a biciycle: on the plateaus where the little train by the name of Charly used to pass; plunging into the greenery along the Sauer; through the vineyards along the Moselle; in the seven castles region; along the capital’s cultural paths on Emaischen day (Easter Monday); in Wiltz beside Michel Rodange and his Luxembourgish version of The Tale of the Fox; or even on the streets of Dudelange when I have visited the ever-thrilling exhibitions at the Documentation Centre for Human Rights; or in Esch-sur-Alzette attempting to discover its industrial heritage, the Red Lands and the legend of the Italians.

The dancing procession

 

So, Luxembourg: a protected country, green country, a rural country? Absolutely! “Vianden, embedded in a splendid landscape, will be visited one day by tourists from the whole of Europe, attracted both by its sinister but magnificent ruin and by its cheerful and happy people", wrote Victor Hugo, when exiled from France for a time. What else is there to say? Perhaps that buying petrol is no longer the only reason to travel to Luxembourg.

 Translation : Alistair Cowie