SINGAPORE, 5 September 2019: Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, is lending his name to a new global partnership aimed at improving conservation and making the travel industry more sustainable.
‘Travalyst’ has been created to mobilise the travel industry as a catalyst for good, aiming to transform the future of travel at a time when travel is identified as a contributor to climate change.
Led by His Royal Highness the initiative is co-founded by leading travel brands such as Booking.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, TripAdvisor and VISA.
They will use their ability to reach out to travel customers to educate, raise awareness and promote positive change.
Travalyst claims to be a new partnership is paving a new way to travel; driving change to help everyone explore the world in a more sustainable manner, protecting people, places, and wildlife.
As more people travel the impact on local communities and the environment increases, however the number of opportunities to do good with each trip taken increases too.
In it launch publicity released earlier this week the press statements identifies the phenomenal growth in travel.
- Last year, the number of international trips taken each year globally reached 1.4 billion, two years faster than original projections. (UNWTO).
- Since 2000, the number of trips taken annually by people around the world has more than doubled. (World Bank).
- travel and tourism generated USD8.8 trillion to the global economy in 2018. (WTTC).
- The continued rise in people travelling indicates we will reach 1.8bn international trips will reach 1.8 billion by 2030, doubling the number of trips made annually in fewer than 20 years. (UNWTO).
- 1 in 10 of all jobs globally are travel-related (WTTC).
- In 10 years, the number of tourists visiting countries in emerging markets will reach 1bn annually, making up 57% of all international trips globally. (UNWTO).
- The global sustainable tourism market is predicted to grow by $340bn, 10%, within the next four years. (TechNavio).
Travalyst is intended to capitalise on the strength and breadth of the global travel market, foster increased collaboration across the industry, and stimulate and support new solutions and initiatives in sustainable travel.
The founding partners want to spark a movement of like-mindedd companies, organisations, NGOs, and change-makers to transform the future of travel into a more sustainable one.
His Royal Highness, The Duke of Sussex said: “Travel has the unparalleled power to open people’s minds to different cultures, new experiences and to have a profound appreciation for what our world has to offer. As tourism inevitably grows, it is critically important to accelerate the adoption of sustainable practices worldwide; and to balance this growth with the needs of the environment and the local population.
“Bringing companies, consumers and communities together is our best chance to protect destinations and ecosystems for future generations.”
In his presentation, the Duke of Sussex referred to the “overcrowding” at popular tourist destination identifying Maya Bay in Thailand as having to close until 2021 to allow recovery of its marine ecology and the garbage threat facing Nepal’s Everest region.
One of the founding members TripAdvisor president & CEO Stephen Kaufer added: “We all have a responsibility to try and protect our precious planet and communities for generations to come. I truly believe more can be achieved by joining together than going alone, which is why we’re excited to be part of Travalyst as we collectively seek out ways to make a positive impact on the future of travel.”
Travalyst launches at a time when airlines and cruise companies, along with restaurant and hotel companies, are grappling with how to make the travel industry less damaging to the environment.
It also comes just weeks after the duke and his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, came under fire for travelling on private jets, which have a much higher relative carbon impact than commercial planes.
However, the duke flew commercial to attend the opening Travalyst celebrations in Amsterdam.
See Launch video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvvPrSORZBU See: www.travalyst.org
