Ideal holiday visual results in French and English; Credit: STATEC

Recently published results from a STATEC survey have identified rest / relaxation, good weather, beaches and good food as the key ingredients for Luxembourg residents' ideal holiday.

These results emerge from an open question asked in the 2022 tourism survey about what residents think of when they hear "ideal holiday". For many, the priorities were rest and relaxation, being by the sea and having access to good food. Being with family and discovering new things were also important.

More than half of respondents listed terms (lexical fields) linked to relaxation and good weather, whilst more than a third mentioned the beach and a quarter mentioned food. Beyond these criteria shared by many residents, STATEC noted nuances in preferences depending on age, standard of living or family situation, for example.

The survey was carried out in four languages (Luxembourgish, French, English and German). The word "sun" dominated across all four languages, although other responses differed depending on the language. In French, the beach, relaxation and the sea came next. In Luxembourgish, eating well was the second most important element of an ideal holiday; good weather and the sea were almost equally important. The results were similar in German, with good food and the sea being cited most often, followed by calm and the beach. In English, relaxation appeared to be more important than in other languages, whilst good food only came in sixth place.

Excluding the four dominant lexical fields (relaxation, good weather, beach and good food), STATEC found that Luxembourg residents favoured making discoveries, spending time with family and enjoying nature and culture. Mountains, the hotel, sport and swimming were also cited as elements of the ideal holiday. For residents of Portuguese origin, in particular, spending time with family during holidays was "very important".

STATEC also noted certain differences depending on the income of respondents. People with a lower income placed a stronger emphasis on spending time with family on holiday. For the wealthiest respondents, the focus was more on discovery, culture and nature.

The results also differed slightly depending on the type of household. Pensioners prioritised discovery, culture and nature, as well as the hotel and being near mountains. Swimming, nature, stress-free and fun holidays were found to be important for families with children. Single adults were more likely to opt for partying and sports, as well as cultural and nature activities.

The full publication is available (in French) online at https://statistiques.public.lu/fr/publications/series/regards/2024/regards-05-24.html.