A new project known as Travalyst has been launched to boost sustainable practices. Set in motion by Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, Travalyst is a global initiative founded by Booking.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, TripAdvisor and Visa, with the ambition to change the impact of travel, for good.
Travalyst will work to encourage sustainable practices in the travel industry with the goal of improving conservation, environmental protection, and community economic development. Prince Harry had this to offer in a speech from Amsterdam:
“What is clear across this vast landscape is that our world faces environmental challenges of unprecedented scope and scale. These human-caused challenges often need a giant system shift to make a significant enough impact. And that is what this partnership is here to try and do.”
According to the news, Travalyst will work to help on issues like climate change, protecting wildlife, and to reduce the impact of over-tourism. Joining Prince Harry are some of the biggest names in travel including Booking.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, TripAdvisor and Visa.
Glenn Fogel, CEO of Booking.com posted his appreciation for what Prince Harry has set in motion and how humanity has taken steps in the past to preserve manmade and natural wonders. Fogel went on to stress how the time has arrived to make travel truly sustainable. Here is his LinkedIn posting.
A recent survey conducted by Booking.com showed that more than half of travelers want to make sustainable travel choices in the future. The rub, according to this survey, is that travelers simply do not know how to find these better choices. There simply isn’t enough information, and the diversity of choice is just not out there yet. It seems like Travalyst will best serve to inform and to set up a vast network of collaboration. At least this is in my own view.
Travalyst is the first initiative of the Harry and Duchess Meghan’s new charitable foundation, Sussex Royal. According to the news, Travalyst is not going to be about encouraging tourists to travel less. Instead, the new program will work to help tourists make environmentally friendly decisions. In the end, the goal of Travalyst will be to give consumers better and more options for booking trips.
Prince Harry’s initiative will focus on sustainability, including preventing wildlife damage and ways to tackle the growing problem of over-tourism, as well. The prince has said the inspiration behind his new green travel initiative came from an unexpected interaction with a bold 7-year-old boy. According to this story, Prince Harry was told by the little boy “Because of your country, my country’s coral reef is dying.” The princes was in the Caribbean on a visit to a coral reef replanting project.
The prince’s speech from Amsterdam this week was to address the recent controversy over his own use of private jets. In the speech he readily admitted, “we can all do better, no one is perfect.” A much-publicized rumored trip by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to Africa later this fall is proof for many that this royal couple is taking over the humanitarian work that Harry’s mother, Princess Diana.
Prince Harry co-founded the charity Sentebale with Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso to help the orphans of Lesotho. He also co-founded the Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry with his older brother Prince William, the Prince’s Rainforests Project. He also supports dozens of other charities worldwide.
Organizations are being encouraged to join the Travelyst initiative.
Feature image courtesy DOD News
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