What followed was a steady expansion: the development of their corporate travel and incentives department, a curated portfolio of art-focused trips, additional company branches, the full handover to the next generation and a move from FIRST to LCC, another consortium. Then came the seismic shock of the pandemic. Like agencies everywhere, Lückertz found itself battling a wave of cancellations, repatriation efforts, staff departures and a global travel shutdown. Fortunately, the company had already been exploring closer ties with local competitors. Now, the time had come to truly join forces.

In 2022, the three family-owned agencies Reisebüro Lückertz, Reisebüro Schlagheck and Reisebüro ReiseArt merged to form the new Reiseart GmbH & Co. KG – bringing together an impressive 185 years of industry experience and more than 80 employees across seven locations in the region. "We’ve always enjoyed getting involved – that’s another family tradition," Matthias Lückertz Sr. says with a smile. His father, Paul Lückertz, for example, served on the board of German leisure airline LTU, while he himself spent six years on the supervisory board of FIRST. "My grandfather, my father and I have also been active in public service. My grandfather received the Federal Cross of Merit, while my father was awarded the Order of St. Sylvester by the Pope – the highest honor a layperson can receive from the Vatican. I received the Federal Cross of Merit myself last fall. It shows that we get involved rather than simply letting things happen."

Clearly, the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree. In 2023, Lückertz handed the reins to his son, Matthias Lückertz Jr., who now leads the company as the fourth generation of the family. "Matthias is carrying on the tradition and is starting to get involved himself – for example, on the tourism advisory board in Frankfurt," says his father, who, like his brother Christoph, remains involved in the company as a shareholder. And thanks to the merger of the three agencies, his son is not leading the business alone: Ralf Trilsbeek and Laura Brokamp are also part of the top management team.

And that team has hardly been standing still. In early 2026, the company acquired the Weser Travel Agency in Bremen, Germany; today, it employs 150 people and expects annual sales of €100 million. "It’s incredibly rewarding to see how many employees have joined us on this journey," says Matthias Lückertz Jr. "We’ve changed enormously over the past few years, looking at virtually every process and finding ways to reinvent ourselves. Among other things, we’ve created positions such as mid-office manager, responsible for the important dialogue with tour operators and partners. These roles can be a great fit, for example, for mothers who want to return to work but aren’t able to take on a full-time customer-facing position as a travel advisor during regular business hours."

And that was only the beginning. "We’re currently working intensively on our Vision 2031," says Lückertz Jr. "By the end of this year, we want to define where we want to be in 2031 – and then give ourselves a good four years to make that transformation happen. We believe brick-and-mortar travel agencies have a future, particularly when they deliver outstanding service. Our team is working hard to ensure that every client who walks through our doors or contacts us – through whatever channel – quickly understands that they can trust us."

He continues: "It’s about genuine expertise and providing answers quickly. We see AI and technology in general as a tremendous opportunity because we believe the travel expert can become a navigator through an increasingly complex travel landscape." To help make that happen, the company has established an internal AI advisory board, bringing together co-workers from different areas of the business, with additional support from an external AI consultant. "That will allow us to continue providing real added value for our clients over the long term," Lückertz Jr. says. Those clients are primarily travelers booking luxury or highly customized trips, as well as those who simply appreciate excellent service and want to save time. "That’s why we’re working intensively on creating a fully digital customer journey."

It’s an ambitious goal – and certainly not an easy one. "We don’t put pressure on ourselves, but we do feel it. Entrepreneurship requires courage. We want to help shape the industry, lead the way and develop solutions that not everyone else has. And we’re fortunate that our structure, with our own IT department and in-house marketing team, gives us the opportunity to play a genuinely active role in shaping what comes next."

The specific demands of the luxury segment are very much part of that vision. "High-end travel has always played an important role for us," says Managing Director Lückertz. "We’ve consistently invested in giving our travel advisors first-hand exposure to exceptional destinations and exciting hotel brands." In the years ahead, the company plans to sharpen and expand that focus through dialogue and training, seeing luxury and highly customized travel as key areas for its future.

Speaking of the future, history seems to be repeating itself to some extent. After all, choosing a career in travel arguably takes a certain amount of courage today, too. Or does it? "We’re convinced that future generations will continue to book through travel agencies. My fellow managing director Laura Brokamp and I thought very carefully about where we wanted to take the company and whether we were ready to take on that responsibility. And we quickly reached the point where we said: Yes, we want this, and we can do it," says Lückertz Jr. without hesitation. He adds: "We now like to talk affectionately about ‘the next 100 years,’ because we’re convinced that, through the right touchpoints, we can reach customers with the right message at the right time."

The industry, he believes, needs to shift the conversation away from price and from simply promoting a trip, and instead highlight service and the passion of travel advisors. "If we showcase their expertise more clearly and demonstrate the benefits for our clients in both leisure and corporate travel, we can continue to inspire people to seek advice from a travel agency and build trust through the quality we provide. That way, we can not only remain successful in this business over the long term, but continue to grow."