Luxembourg is the Only EU Country That Saw a Decline in Tourist Arrivals Last Year
Luxembourg was the only EU country to see a drop in tourism last year. This was reported this week by the official Eurostat agency, with the level of visitors to the country remaining below the level seen before the pandemic in 2019. Luxembourg saw a slight decline of 0.1%, which measured the number of nights spent in tourist accommodation across the country, compared to 2022, according to Eurostat.
At the same time, almost all EU members recorded an increase in tourism in 2023. In Malta and Cyprus, growth exceeded 20%. In 8 other EU members - Slovakia, Latvia, Bulgaria, Austria, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Romania, and Greece - it exceeded 10%.
Looking at absolute numbers, the largest growth in the number of nights spent by tourists was observed in Germany (+32.8 million nights) and Spain (+32.3 million nights).
According to Eurostat, the level of tourism in Luxembourg in 2023 remained 2.1% lower than in the same period in 2019, the last year before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The survey found that about half of EU countries experienced a drop from pre-pandemic levels.
According to Eurostat, across the European Union, tourism levels were up 6.3% for the year and 1.6% compared to 2019.
Luxembourg is a small, wealthy country in Western Europe with the capital of the same name. It is also the only Grand Duchy in the world that has been ruled by Duke Henri since 2000. The state system is a constitutional hereditary monarchy. The country covers an area of only 2,586 square kilometres and is home to more than 600,000 Luxembourgers. The country is one of the richest in the world. The minimum wage here is the highest in the European Union - 2,142 euros. For comparison, in Germany it is €1,584, in Belgium it is €1,594, and in the Netherlands it is €1,636.
Good conditions attract residents of neighbouring countries. About half of Luxembourg's official employees come to work from Belgium, France and Germany. It is estimated that this is about 200 thousand people. That's why the whole country is stuck in huge traffic jams in the mornings and evenings.
Luxembourg is one of the six founding members of the European Union and one of the twelve founding members of NATO. Together with Belgium and the Netherlands, it is part of the Benelux.
