Bettembourg Parc retains top spot as tourist favourite

(JB) The animal park, or "Parc Merveilleux" in Bettembourg was the most visited tourist attraction in Luxembourg during the first half of the year, according to the national tourist office.

A whopping 135.846 visitors called in at the Parc Merveilleux in Bettembourg, putting it at the head of the list, despite the fact that it was closed for the first three months of the year.

The animal park, which opens to the public from march to October, features 200 species from around the world. Despite being the most popular attraction, visitors numbers fell by 4.4 percent compared to the same period in 2013. 

Rising numbers

The only attractions to see a rise in visitor numbers were the guided tours in Luxembourg City, up 7.3 percent and occupying second place in the rankings with 121,120 visits, and Luxembourg City's modern art museum MUDAM, up 5.5 percent to 40,216 visits.

Visitor numbers fell slightly for Vianden castle (down 0.4 percent with 54,095 visits) and the tunnels of Luxembourg City's ancient fortress, the Casemates (down 0.5 percent with 52,623 visits).

The figures were released by Luxembourg secretary of state for economy Francine Closener during a press conference on Tuesday. She said that the country's tourism sector improved from January to June 2015, compared with the year before.

This result was promising especially since 2014 marked a record year for the sector. Overnight tourist hotel stays rose on average 1.3 percent meanwhile business stays rose 7 percent compared with the same period in 2014. 

Overnight stays

Hotel occupation rates were at 70.9 percent on average, up 1.4 percent. Ms Closener said this growth was driven by a rise in American (up 18.4 percent) touriusts and Germans (up 6.2 percent).

Campsites did not feel the benefits of a warm spring and sunny summer on their books, seeing overnight stays fall by 4.5 percent. This is largely because camping numbers rose significantly in 2014. Youth hostels, meanwhile, saw stays rise 7.3 percent.

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