After kicking off with a reception in Hong Kong, the second day of the Luxembourg economic mission in China on Tuesday 3 May 2016 involved a seminar during which the Grand Duchy's Deputy PM and Minister of the Economy, Étienne Schneider, promoted the country as a tourist destination.
Similar events are also expected to take place in the coming days in Shanghai and Beijing in order to establish and develop professional relationships, but also to improve knowledge of the Chinese market and the expectations of local tour operators.
The Luxembourg delegation from the tourism sector is composed of representatives from the Directorate of Tourism of the Ministry of the Economy, Luxembourg for Tourism (LfT), the Luxembourg City Tourist Office (LCTO), Triostone Net, Schengen Travel and the Château d'Urspelt.
China's tourism market is seen as a signficiant source of potential for Luxembourg, where stays by Chinese tourists have tripled since 2010. In 2015, Luxembourg's hotel industry registered nearly 70,000 nights spent by Chinese travellers, who now represent 4% of total overnight stay in hotels.
Meanwhile, Chinese nationals spending just a few hours visiting Luxembourg are equally important clientele for businesses in the capital due to their high purchasing power.
Tuesday continued with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC). The official delegation was then hosted by Victor Li, deputy chairman of Hutchison Whampoa Limited. The Hutchinson Whampoa conglomerate, based in Hong Kong and active in multiple sectors such as energy, hospitality, telecommunications and finance, already has an operational base in Luxembourg employing 10 people.
In the late afternoon, the official delegation visited Shanghai where the day ended with a dinner amongst representatives of the Chinese group Fosun in the presence of TRH the Hereditary Grand Duke and Hereditary Grand Duchess.
Photos by SIP/Luc Deflorenne
