Hereditary Grand Duke, Tourism Minister Visit Luxembourg Pavilion in Dubai

During their tourism promotion mission in Dubai, His Royal Highness the Hereditary Grand Duke of Luxembourg and the Minister for Tourism and for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Lex Delles, visited the Luxembourg pavilion at Expo 2020 over the weekend.

Day 1

On Saturday, Prince Guillaume and Minister Lex Delles met with Maggy Nagel, Commissioner General of Luxembourg to Expo 2020 Dubai, as well as Daniel Sahr, Director of the Luxembourg Pavilion, and undertook a guided tour with particular attention to the “Beauty” section of the pavilion, dedicated to tourism.

The Luxembourg pavilion highlights the range of rich landscapes of the Grand Duchy by presenting through a digital tool the dense forests and valleys of the Ardennes, the rock formations of the Mullerthal region, the “Land of the Red Rocks” of the Minett with its ancient mining landscapes, the Moselle vineyards and the Guttland region with its many castles. The “Beauty” section also features an olfactory signature which refers to the “green heart of Europe” and which creates the impression of being in the forests of the Grand Duchy. The highlight of the pavilion is the three-story slide, a nod to the Schueberfouer.

Luxembourg's Tourism Minister stated that “the Luxembourg pavilion has succeeded in reflecting the variety of landscapes of the Grand Duchy. Located in the heart of Europe, Luxembourg seduces with its five diverse regions, which stand out for their unique and fascinating nature as well as their rich cultural and historical heritage. The “beauty” section of the Luxembourg pavilion promotes these tourist attractions in an innovative and charming way”.

Maggy Nagel emphasised that the pavilion "offers the unique opportunity to present the diversity of landscapes and the attractiveness of Luxembourg to a very large audience. In less than a month, we have welcomed more than 115,000 visitors from all over the world and shared with them the beauty of Luxembourg as a tourist destination. Ranked as one of the best pavilions by some of the most important UAE media outlets, we are convinced that the Luxembourg pavilion will have a lasting positive impact on the Luxembourg tourism sector ”.

Prince Guillaume and Minister Lex Delles also welcomed His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, to the Luxembourg pavilion for a guided tour.

In the afternoon, the Hereditary Grand Duke and the Tourism Minister discovered other national pavilions on the site of Expo 2020 Dubai, including the Emirati, Saudi and Moroccan pavilions. Prince Guillaume also visited the pavilions of Bahrain and Kuwait, whilst Minister Delles visited the Swiss pavilion and the Dubai Exhibition Centre, which boasts an area of ​​45,000 m2 and 24 conference rooms. This visit was particularly rewarding in the context of the construction of a new convention and exhibition centre in Luxembourg-Kirchberg.

In addition to the tourism component of this first day, the Hereditary Grand Duke and the Tourism Minister closed the “Made in Luxembourg” week organised by the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce. This event highlighted the quality of work of twelve Luxembourgish companies, which notably presented a wide variety of services and products, such as cleaning solar panels, creating handcrafted jewellery, making plant products or producing halal food.

Carlo Thelen, Director of the Chamber of Commerce, explained: “For more than 60% of consumers in the European Union, the origin of a product is elementary, so it is crucial for the Chamber of Commerce to promote the 'Made in Luxembourg' label during a world-renowned event such as Expo 2020 in Dubai”.

Minister Delles added that “the 'Made in Luxembourg' label is an internationally recognised quality indicator which promotes Luxembourgish know-how. The companies present at the 'Made in Luxembourg' week demonstrated a great spirit of innovation, passion, creativity and exceptional expertise. I would like to congratulate the Chamber of Commerce for highlighting this know-how of Luxembourg companies".

Day 2

Strategic orientations were at the heart of the second day of this tourism promotion mission. On the agenda were various interviews with major players in the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) SME sector. Prince Guillaume and Minister Lex Delles notably met Abdulla Bin Touq Al Mari, Minister of the Economy, Dr. Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship and SMEs, and Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade. Minister Delles also had an interview with Abdul Baset Al Janahi, CEO of Dubai SME, and Sami Al Qamzi, Director General of the Dubai Department of Economic Development.

Discussions focused on strengthening the promotion of the SME sector and highlighting the opportunities for bilateral collaboration facilitating the internationalisation of SMEs. More specifically, both parties discussed how to establish and maintain a framework conducive to the development of SMEs. Minister Delles noted that “small and medium-sized enterprises constitute the backbone of the Luxembourg economy. They represent around 50% of employment and they contribute to innovation and technological progress". He added: "It should be emphasised that internationalisation represents a great opportunity for these companies, allowing them to take advantage of new growth prospects. I am convinced that this essential sector can help strengthen the economic links between Luxembourg and the United Arab Emirates”.

The cultural programme for the second day of this mission included a visit to Dubai's oldest historic district, Al Bastakiya, which is benefiting greatly from the major rehabilitation campaign undertaken by the Dubai Municipality.

The Hereditary Grand Duke then had the opportunity to visit the Ismaili Centre of Dubai in the presence of the President of the Ismaili community in the United Arab Emirates and in the Gulf region, Aziz Merchant. This centre organises social and cultural activities aimed at safeguarding and promoting the traditions of the Ismaili community, and more generally of the Muslim world. 

A business delegation composed of Luxembourgish companies in the tourism sector visited the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding, where it attended a presentation illustrating the characteristics of congress and leisure tourism in the Middle East and discussing the future challenges of these sectors

The second day of the tourism promotion mission in Dubai ended with a meeting between Luxembourg's Minister for Tourism and representatives of the largest tour operators in the UAE.