Lex Delles, Minister for Tourism and Small/Medium-sized Enterprises, held a press conference on Thursday morning concerning plans to help the tourism industry in Luxembourg.
Delles discussed details of the recovery plan to help the sector continue in spite of the pandemic.
Key parts of the plan revolve around a campaign to boost homegrown tourism in the Grand Duchy, fuelled by a €50 voucher scheme for residents and cross-border workers to encourage them to discover the country through staycations. Some 700,000 vouchers are expected to be issued to all over-16s in early July and will be valid at hotels, campsite, hostels and other accommodation.
The campaign will also aim to attract more visitors from neighbouring countries and the Netherlands, who can travel to Luxembourg by car or by train - travel options which will be more attractive to tourists in light of the coronavirus measures.
The Minister also discussed the government's new €3,000,000 tourism fund to help ailing businesses get back on their feet after being hit by the quarantine difficulties. The fund will primarily be aimed at organisations reliant on volunteers, as these cannot benefit from existing financial support schemes, and will assist them in maintaining crucial infrastructure in the sector.
The Ministry will also seek to offer support for companies seeking to make use of digitisation, whether for reservations, online ticketing, or increasing digital presence.
As well as supporting leisure tourism, the plan will aim to re-introduce business tourism, which has boomed in the Grand Duchy in recent years. Delles said they would aim to make use of digital resources such as video conferencing and live-streaming, while encouraging those in the business sector to return to Luxembourg through issuing safety labels similar to the "Safe to Serve" label in the food industry.
