On 9 February 2023, the Minister for Tourism, Lex Delles, and the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development, Joëlle Welfring, awarded the 'EcoLabel Luxembourg' and 'bed+bike' labels.
Created in 1999 with the aim of developing and promoting sustainable tourism in Luxembourg, the "EcoLabel" is aimed at Luxembourg's tourist accommodation structures and is currently held by 43 hotels, campsites, youth hostels, group accommodation and rural gîtes. These establishments are distinguished by their environmentally friendly practices, with a particular focus on reducing energy and water consumption, efficient waste management and the use of renewable energy. The 'EcoLabel', the result of a fruitful collaboration between the general Directorate for Tourism, the Oekozenter Pafendall and the Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development, is now the reference label at national level.
The Minister for Tourism, Lex Delles, stressed in this context that "sustainability is a common thread in our tourism strategy. We want to welcome residents, cross-border commuters and tourists in optimal conditions, improve the quality of life in the Grand Duchy and preserve Luxembourg's natural assets. This applies in particular to accommodation facilities, which make an important contribution to making the Grand Duchy a sustainable tourist destination. The 'EcoLabel' helps to guide tourists and residents in this context and to highlight environmentally friendly businesses which thus increase their attractiveness considerably.
The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development, Joëlle Welfring, says that the 'EcoLabel' is an important tool for companies that facilitates the transition to sustainable and environmentally responsible management. The resulting economic gain, whether in terms of energy consumption, water consumption or waste reduction, is significant, as is the additional visibility of companies' sustainability efforts.
In addition, the national 'EcoLabel' can be seen as a stepping stone to the European 'EcoLabel'. For this purpose, the agents of the Environmental Administration support the actors who wish to obtain the 'European EcoLabel'. The Minister would also like to thank the staff of the Oekozenter Pafendall, who guides and advises the applicants in a professional and personal manner and offers them practice-oriented measures.
Isabelle Schummers, coordinator of the EcoLabel Luxembourg at the Oekozenter Pafendall indicated that "the 'EcoLabel' is a label that covers most of the themes of sustainable development and therefore requires a real commitment from the lodgi. We are delighted to see that the efforts of the institutions combined with the individualised support have enabled the companies to successfully renew their certification.
The Minister for Tourism, Lex Delles, also officially presented the 'Bed+Bike' certificate to Camping Kockelscheuer, which successfully met the criteria for the label. This label was introduced in the Grand Duchy in 2011, in close collaboration between the General Directorate for Tourism and ProVelo.lu. Establishments bearing the label make special efforts to welcome cycle tourists, in particular by adapting their services and infrastructure to their specific needs. The 'Bed+Bike' label requires, among other things, that the establishments provide visitors with a secure room for their bicycles and tools to carry out minor repairs on the bicycles, that specific tourist information for bicycle touring is available on site and that a balanced breakfast is offered. These criteria ensure that cyclists are provided with a welcome, infrastructure and information tailored to their needs.
Lex Delles said in this context that "the promotion of active tourism is one of our priorities and plays a key role in our new tourism strategy. In this context, the 'Bed+Bike' label is an important project to highlight accommodation that meets the specific needs of cycle tourists. In this way, we encourage residents, cross-border commuters and foreign tourists to discover Luxembourg and its tourist attractions by bike in the best possible conditions.
Jo Klein, project manager at ProVelo.lu, emphasised that "we are delighted to see that the bicycle is not only gaining popularity in everyday travel, but is also beginning to develop its potential as an active means of transport in the world of tourism and leisure in Luxembourg.
The establishments classified as "EcoLabel Luxembourg" in 2023 are the following:
- Lultzhausen youth hostel (bronze category)
- Luxembourg City youth hostel (gold category)
- Camping Belle-Vue
- Camping du Nord (silver category)
- Camping Ettelbruck (bronze category)
- Camping Martbusch (silver category)
- Camping Relax (silver category)
- Camping St. Hubert (bronze category)
- Camping Troisvierges (bronze category)
- Camping Val d'Or (bronze category)
- City Hôtel (gold category)
- Gourmet & Relax Hôtel de la Sure (silver category)
- Novotel Luxembourg Kirchberg (silver category)
The establishment classified as "Bed+Bike" in 2023 is the following:
- Camping Kockelscheuer
Press release by the General Directorate for Tourism / Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development