Luxembourg
Tourism Summit

15th of May 2025

The Journey of Excellence continues. PEOPLE, PLACE and PLANET

The journey of excellence continues

PEOPLE, PLACE, and PLANET

Key Highlights

Explore how destinations, tourism industry, and the entire visitor ecosystem can work together to create lasting value for people, places and the planet.

Addressing the more-urgent-than-ever climate crisis, strengthening local communities and cities' liveability, and creating deeper connections between people and place.

Impressions of the Luxembourg Tourism Summit 2024

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Luxembourg Tourism Summit Keynote Speakers

Signe Jungersted

CEO and founding partner of Group NAO

Signe is CEO and founding partner in the innovation and strategy agency Group NAO.

Group NAO works with big and small destinations in Europe and North America, developing strategic processes and services. Group NAO also initiates and executes new agenda-setting collaboration programs, like Time for DMOcracy, and most recently AI Opener for Destinations with more than 55 partners across the Atlantic.

Signe, formerly Development Director at Wonderful Copenhagen, led a shift towards “localhood” and balanced livability with visitability. She spearheaded major projects like 10XCopenhagen. With a master’s in Political Science, she studied Mandarin in Shanghai, pursued management education at MIT and Hyper Island, and is completing an MBA in Creative Leadership in Berlin. Signe serves on Museum Odense’s Board.

Ljubica Knežević Cvelbar

Professor, School of Business and Economics, University of Ljubljana

Navigating Global Change: Challenges, Transformations, and Tourism's Role

We are living in times of constant and profound change. This lecture will explore major transformations shaping our economy, society, and environment - addressing critical challenges such as climate change mitigation, geopolitical instability, inflation, inequality, demographic shifts, mental heath, and migration. It will also examine the role of tourism and how the sector can actively contribute to addressing these global issues.

Ljubica Knežević Cvelbar, PhD, is a Full Professor at the University of Ljubljana and a global expert in tourism economics and sustainable development. With over 20 years of experience, she has led 100+ international projects, published 60+ scientific papers, and received top tourism research awards. She also holds leadership roles in academia, industry, and strategic tourism partnerships.

Guy Bigwood

CEO, CHIEF CHANGEMAKER Global Destinations Sustainability Movement

Hope with a Backbone: Harnessing pragmatic optimism to create thriving places for people, planet, and prosperity

Tourism can be more than an economic driver - it can be a catalyst for resilience, inclusion, and renewal. This keynote explores how cities like Luxembourg are embracing regenerative tourism to create lasting value. Grounded in pragmatic optimism, Guy shares how tourism can restore ecosystems, elevate communities, and build cities that thrive - socially, culturally, and environmentally.

The GDS is a transformation platform that inspires, educates, and empowers destinations to become more regenerative, flourishing, and resilient places to visit, meet, and live in. Guy has worked with over 100 DMOs and NTOs to help them create, implement, and communicate regenerative and sustainability strategies for the visitor economy.

Guy is a recognised expert on creating regenerative destinations and events. He is the founder of the GDS-Index and Chief Changemaker of the Global Destinations Sustainability Movement. Guy's pioneering work over the last 20 years has been recognised with 23 sustainability awards. He has achieved Fellowship of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (FIEMA).

Tilman Naujoks

Fraunhofer IAO - Project Lead

Shaping the Future: Scenarios and Potentials for the Business Events Ecosystem

How will business events evolve in a changing world? The future scenarios developed by the Future Meeting Space innovation network outline possible developments and strategic options. This talk highlights key influencing factors, identifies future potentials, and offers insights into why people will attend events in the future - from gaining knowledge and inspiration to emotional experiences connecting the physical and digital world.

Tilman Naujoks is a researcher and project lead in the "Workspace Innovation" team in the Organisational Development and Work Design research unit at the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO. The "Workspace Innovation" team researches and develops working environments that promote innovation and performance. The focus is on office, laboratory and learning environments as well as specific solutions for the event industry, hotels, heath and care facilities.

Tilman Naujoks studied Business Administration with a focus on trade fair, congress and event management as well as Corporate Transformation and Digital Innovation Development and is passionate about researching the topics of future working, learning and living spaces. He is the author of scientific and action-orientated studies and has been working on the subject of future working and living environments at the Fraunhofer IAO for over 10 years.

Pia Lange Christensen

CEO, Visit Aarhus

The benefits of social sustainability and volunteering in tourism

'A great place to live is a great place to visit!' That is the name of the VisitAarhus' strategy with a strong focus on sustainability and especially social sustainability. VisitAarhus has more than 2,200 volunteers helping out at cultural events, cruise ship arrivals, conferences and festivals.

The volunteers organization is unique in Europe and one of the reasons that Aarhus is currently number five on the Green Destination Sustainability Index and number 1 in the social category.

Pia Lange Christensen has been the CEO of VisitAarhus since 2019. Since then, she has been leading Denmark's largest DMO outside the capital. VisitAarhus is responsible for marketing and developing tourism in the Aarhus Region. In addition to her role as CEO, Pia Lange Christensen holds several board positions - she is board member of VisitDenmark, Chairman of The Danish development organisation for business tourism, and a board member of Danish Destinations and Danish City Tourism.

Besides her degree in journalism, Pia Lange Christensen has a diploma in management from Aarhus University and board education from Copenhagen Business School.

Ewoud Desmet

Project Manager, Visit Antwerp

Creating a local movement of City Hosts!

City Hosts is a local ambassador initiative in Antwerp where residents, students, workers, and entrepreneurs volunteer to warmly welcome visitors in an informal and personal way.

Rather than acting as official guides, City Hosts make themselves recognizable in the city and spontaneously assist tourists - whether by giving directions, sharing local tips, or simply offering a friendly chat. The flexible format allows each volunteer to engage in a way that suits them, creating authentic, low-threshold interactions that enrich the visitor experience and strengthen the connection between locals and tourists.

Ewoud Desmet has a background in tourism, hospitality, and cultural heritage, with professional experience in both public and private sectors. His work has included roles in visitor services, event coordination, and international project management. He has lived and worked both in Europe and South America, and currently shares his love for Antwerp and Belgium in his role as project manager for Visit Antwerp.

Frank Cuypers

Founder, Place Generation

The Sea of Sameness: Why Place matters and how you can only reinvent yourself by knowing yourself

Want to save travel for future generations? Start with the hardest part: yourself.

Places only thrive when they stop mimicking and start speaking in their own voice - from marketing to management. From academic models to Monty Python - if the whole world had listened to this talk, it would already be a better place.

From Canada and Europe, Frank Cuypers has tackled tourism challenges in over 100 places around the globe. He's shaped strategies for the EU, the World Bank, and national tourism boards - but his true passion lies with the places he teaches about: cities. A dynamic speaker and guest professor, he also co-founded the forward-thinking collective Place Generation.

Schedule of the Luxembourg Tourism Summit 2025

Programme
08:30	Registration & Welcome Coffee
09.00	Official Opening Speech by Marc ANGEL, President Luxembourg City Tourist Office (LCTO)
09:10	Official Opening Speech by Maurice BAUER, Chief Alderman of the City of Luxembourg (VdL)
09.20	Welcome by Antje VOSS, Director Luxembourg City Tourist Office (LCTO)
09.30	Introduction by Signe JUNGERSTED
09.45	Keynote: Navigating Global Change: Challenges, Transformations and Tourism's Role by Ljubica Knežević CVELBAR
10.30	Coffee Break - Bar Foyer
11.00	Keynote: Pragmatic Optimism in Times of Uncertainty by Guy BIGWOOD
11.35	Keynote: Shaping the Future. Scenarios and Potentials for the Business Events Ecosystem by Tilman NAUJOKS
12.10	1st Panel Reflection: People, Places & Planet - how do we move forward in Luxembourg City?
12.30	Lunch and Networking - Bar Foyer
14.00	Official Opening Speech by Eric THILL, Minister for Culture, Minister Delegate for Tourism
14.15	Keynote: The Benefits of Social Sustainability and Volunteering in Tourism by Pia LANGE CHRISTENSEN
15.00	Keynote: Creating a local movement of City Hosts! by Ewoud DESMET
15.35	Coffee Break - Bar Foyer
16.05	Keynote: The Sea of Sameness: Why Place matters and how you can only reinvent yourself by knowing yourself by Frank CUYPERS
16.40	2nd Panel Reflection: How can we co-create tourism that resonates with people and place in Luxembourg City?
17.10	Closing Words
17.30	Cocktail Reception & Get Together - Bar Foyer

Plan your trip to the Luxembourg Tourism Summit

Venue

Cercle Cité
2 rue Genistre, 1623 Ville-Haute Luxembourg

Cercle Cité is located on the Place d’Armes, in the heart of Luxembourg City. The area around the building is pedestrianised and non-accessible by car.