de Bulletin - Edition spéciale. Tourisme accessible au Luxembourg - Spezialausgabe - Barrierefreier Tourismus in Luxemburg

Editorial information: Das Informationsblatt von / Le bulletin d’information de Info-Handicap Luxembourg.

Once per year, before the start of the summer holidays period in Luxembourg, Info-Handicap publishes a brochure introducing the holders of the national accessibility label "EureWelcome" in the categories accommodation, camping, restaurant, leisure and/or culture, sports, hiking, shopping, administration, events or transportation services.

Quoting the Minister of Tourism’s Foreword in the publication: “… The destination of Luxembourg is keen to welcome all tourists and residents under in the best possible conditions. This, of course, applies also for people with special needs, be they people with a disability, parents with a stroller or elderly citizens.

Bevel inclines, narrow stairs or uneven paths can quickly become insurmountable obstacles that significantly hinder the holiday experience. The Directorate-General for Tourism therefore pays attention to barriers and adopts an inclusive approach.

Against this background, the Directorate-General for Tourism in cooperation with Info-Handicap awards the EureWelcome-Label, which stands for reliable information on accessibility. Companies and institutions holding that label, are committed to being able to welcome every guest and to provide a satisfactory service. This is in line with the "design-for-all" concept that provides for infrastructures, products, and services to be planned and implemented in such a way that they can be used without the need for individual adaptation and by anyone…”

Since 2013, the Luxembourg government's decision towards a systematic implementation of the concept "Design for All" lead to greater attractiveness of numerous offers in a wide range of areas. Beyond the tourism sector, the approach was extended to other types of businesses and medium-sized enterprises, e.g. in the field of trade, but also to important national events. And, in the meantime, even several public administrations have obtained the label, thus demonstrating their commitment to accessibility.

The visible symbol of that approach is the national accessibility label “EureWelcome”. The right to obtain the label is linked to the obligation to accept a detailed analysis of the infrastructure, service, or event by specially trained “accessibility-checkers” from the national disability information center “Info-Handicap”. If the needed level of accessibility can be proven, the Minister responsible for tourism awards the infrastructure, service, or event with the EureWelcome label.

The EureWelcome brochure is structured in a way considering the different regions in Luxembourg, thus facilitating guests and visitors to easily identify accessible offers in the region where they are staying at that moment.

The publication provides a brief description in French and German of each region and a summary of the awarded infrastructure, services or events so to show a first overview. In case of interest, readers are invited to connect to the dedicated website eurewelcome.lu where they can find the detailed checklists and reports. In case they are using the EureWelcome-app, they can of course directly click the links.

The last pages of the brochure are dedicated to the description of general transportation services on the one hand and special door to door transportation on the other hand.

Especially the national railway company is making considerable effort here and the brochure presents detailed descriptions of the railway stations and their level of accessibility. As nowadays more and more railway stations do not have staff onsite anymore, the reader finds in the brochure information on how to previously request assistance in case of necessity.

Finally, information is also provided about special transportation services by bus organized by the municipalities or by transporation companies, including the Hop on, hop off services allowing to explore the City of Luxembourg.

The EureWelcome brochure is a specific publication summarizing the particular offer of interest for people with special needs, but the same information can also be found via mainstream channels, like the official Website of “visitluxembourg” or the local and regional tourism offices, responding thus to the rules of a Design for All approach.