The Camprilux camping association held its annual general meeting recently in the Irbicht hall in Beringen / Mersch where it reflected on the past year, took stock and presented the plans for the coming season regarding which both the association and its members are optimistic about the future.
The meeting opened with a speech by the association's President, Florence Kirtz-Bertemes. After welcoming the guests of honour, including the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Eric Thill, and the representatives of various tourism partners, she thanked them for their good cooperation and support. She then looked back on the past year with satisfaction. Not only did the early season and the spring holidays bring many customers, the main season also went very well. The less than perfect weather conditions, especially in August, did not put a damper on things, as the cultural leisure activities on offer are now also great on rainy days and loyal guests seem to be less deterred by adverse weather conditions. The free transport in Luxembourg is an additional welcomed incentive. Ms. Kirtz-Bertemes also discussed the Destination Camper Park(ing) initiative. Camprilux and the Tourism Directorate of the Luxembourg Ministry of Economy launched this joint project in 2023 to improve the range of mobile home parking spaces in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. For campsite operators or other interested parties who would like to expand their offering, a detailed guide has been developed to provide instructions and information for motorhome pitches. On the other hand, motorhome travelers should also be offered the opportunity to orientate themselves in advance so that they can obtain comprehensive information about the selection of parking spaces with clear quality requirements.
However, member organisations were still concerned about rising water and energy costs,$ which the campsites do not want to pass on entirely to their customers, as well as the shortage of workers in the sector.
Deputy Minister Thill also addressed a few words to the audience and assured Camprilux of his full support.
Secretary General Linda Gedink then comprehensively presented the finances and the activity report for the past year as well as the projects for 2024. Membership fees remain unchanged; this was approved unanimously. Ms. Gedink also noted that overall the season had gone very well for most people. She also thanked the Luxembourg authorities and partners for their valuable support. In her presentation she also discussed the following projects, among others:
- A new edition of the popular street map is planned for 2024. These maps are distributed at strategically important trade fairs and upon request to interested customers.
- A redesign of the website is also planned for 2024, in collaboration with the database of the National Transport Office “Luxembourg for Tourism”.
Also worth highlighting is the “Camprilux Next Generation” initiative. Quite a few of the camping businesses are passed down and taken over from generation to generation (within the same family). This circumstance prompted the board to organise a meeting back in 2022 specifically aimed at the coming generation, a “future dësch”, so to speak, for the next generation of campsite operators. After the successful first meeting, nothing stood in the way of a second edition. 25 participants and companies accepted the invitation at the end of November 2023 and took part in a stimulating exchange regarding the tasks, challenges and goals of the association and the industry.
A thorn in the side is the current renewal of the handling of the so-called “fiches d’hébergement”. The new version of the law was submitted in June 2023. The changes came about in response to requests from the police, who are demanding more information about guests. However, the various innovations are understood to be very disadvantageous for the campsite operators and, to put it simply, a step backwards due to the increased administrative effort. The issue of data security is certainly also sensitive.
The association tries to prepare itself as best as possible for the challenges of the future such as climate change, pandemics, economic crises, environmental pollution, etc.
In March 2024, Luxembourg will be the host country of the Spring General Assembly of the EFCO & HPA (European Federation of Campsite Organisations), which consists of 23 European member countries. It has been 10 years since Luxembourg hosted this event, which is organised on a rotating basis between member countries. It is a unique opportunity to introduce our country to camping industry professionals from all over Europe.
There were also new elections for the committee. The re-election of Linda GEDINK, Roger HAMEN, Amand KEISER, Florence KIRTZ-BERTEMES was unanimously accepted. Erik GROEN resigned from the committee. He was warmly thanked for his commitment. The vacant position will be filled by his son Kevin GROEN.
This was followed by an interesting presentation and analysis specifically for the camping sector by Alain Krier from “Luxembourg for Tourism” about target groups, customer segments, campaigns, advertising material, the “Visit luxembourg” app, etc.
The general meeting also hosted an ever-popular mini trade fair. Numerous companies from home and abroad presented their products and services. There was also the opportunity for shared exchanges and personal conversations.
The association and its members are now looking forward to the upcoming season and a successful start in spring. The first reservations have already arrived and the demand for camping holidays in the great outdoors, especially in motorhomes and other overnight accommodations, remains unabated.
Further information is available at https://www.camping.lu/
