3rd Edition of Luxembourg Tourism Awards Highlights 6 'Innovative' Initiatives

On Thursday 13 November 2025, Luxembourg’s Minister of the Economy, SMEs, Energy and Tourism, Lex Delles, presented the third edition of the Luxembourg Tourism Awards at a gala evening held at the Kulturfabrik in Esch-sur-Alzette.

Organised every two years, the Tourism Awards reward actors in the sector who have distinguished themselves through innovative projects that have contributed to diversifying the tourist offer.

The theme of this edition was “Excellence and innovation” and the awards were presented in six categories: “Best project”; “Best host”; “Best innovation”; “Meritorious municipality”; as well as a “Public’s favourite” award and a special “Meritorious volunteer” award.

A total of 51 projects were evaluated by a jury of six members: Françoise Gaasch, director general for state aid and business financing at the Ministry of the Economy; Almin Hrkic, creator of the platform Mood Luxembourg; Sandra Leidner, founder of SL Conceptstudio; Steve Martellini, secretary general of Horesca; Filipa Mendes, deputy head of Luxembourg’s nation branding promotion; and Sebastian Reddeker, CEO of Luxembourg for Tourism.

The 2025 laureates for the six award categories were as follows:

- Best project: SIMPLEVIU
Simpleviu offers immersive stays that highlight the country’s culture and history while promoting eco-responsible tourism. Its lodgings, located nationwide in settings such as vintage train carriages and converted heritage buildings, follow a circular-economy approach using national and recycled materials. Founded in 2020, the company aims to reconnect visitors with nature and local heritage through sustainable, zero-waste accommodation.

- Best host: MyQ SARL
MyQ offers hospitality experiences focused on authenticity and respect for Luxembourg’s heritage, through a collection of guesthouses across the country. The company restores historic buildings to provide a harmonious, personalised setting for visitors. Each site has its own atmosphere and highlights architecture, encounters and team commitment. MyQ aims to promote inspiring, sustainable and intimate tourism based on the quality and uniqueness of each place.

- Best innovation: Exploreo, AI-powered sustainable travel planner
Exploreo is a Luxembourg startup that promotes sustainable and regenerative travel by integrating carbon neutrality into each booking and offering real-time impact tracking. The platform provides more than two point seven million accommodations and 50,000 tours, all linked to CO₂ analysis and automatic offsetting. Its approach includes ecosystem restoration, community engagement, secure data hosting on green servers and the development of AI tools to support sustainable choices. To date, Exploreo has supported the planting of 370 trees and the reduction of five tonnes of CO₂ equivalent.

- Meritorious municipality award: Municipality of Schengen for the Schengen Museum and the boat “Prinzessin Marie-Astrid Europa”
The European Schengen Museum, reopened in June 2025, is a modern, interactive space dedicated to the history and significance of the Schengen Agreement. Its permanent exhibition, structured in five thematic sections, presents the historical, political and societal dimensions of Europe’s border-free area. A key feature is the renovated boat “Prinzessin Marie-Astrid Europa”, the site of the agreement’s signing, now integrated into the museum and available for conferences and international events.

- Public’s favourite award: Dinner Hopping – Foodies on Tour, by sightseeing.lu
Dinner Hopping offers an itinerant dining experience in Luxembourg and the Greater Region aboard a converted American school bus. The concept combines mobility, gastronomy and the discovery of local landscapes through a three-course menu prepared by selected local restaurants. Participants follow a route through urban and rural areas with stops along the way, making the activity a blend of cultural tourism and culinary experience.

- Special meritorious volunteer award: Fred Huet and Romain Kleer

Since 1987, Romain Kleer has been active as a volunteer in Useldange, contributing to regional tourism development through the Syndicate of Initiative and Tourism and later the Kultur a Buergfrënn Useldeng asbl, which he has led since 2018. Under his direction, Useldange Castle has grown into a key destination with guided tours and cultural projects, including the ManuKultura creation house and the Atert-Wark tourist information point. His ongoing work supports local heritage, hiking trails, nature protection and cultural activities.

Fred Huet has been an active member since 1978 and president since 2010 of the association d’intérêts Binsfeld-Holler-Breidfeld, where he plays a central role. He initiated the potato festival in Binsfeld, which has been successful for more than 20 years and supported the reopening of the rural museum “A Schiewiesch” and contributed to the renovation of the Binsfeld holiday-house museum. He is recognised for his work as a guide and for promoting regional tourism and cultural heritage.
During the award ceremony, Minister Delles stated: “I wish to salute the passion, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of all nominees and laureates of the Luxembourg Tourism Awards 2025 and to express particular appreciation for the volunteers who play an essential role in the richness of our tourism offer. This dynamic fits fully into our national strategy for sustainable tourism, which values quality tourism that generates real added value for Luxembourg, its visitors and its residents. Indeed, every investment in tourism also contributes to improving residents’ quality of life and strengthening the country’s economy.”

EO