Prince Harry launches sustainable travel initiative Travalyst
What is it?
Prince Harry’s new charitable foundation, Sussex Royal, has helped launch an initiative to raise awareness of, and promote, sustainable travel. Travalyst is a collaboration between five companies – Booking.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, TripAdvisor and Visa – aimed at improving conservation efforts, protecting the environment and helping develop the economies of communities involved in the tourist industry.
Speaking at the launch in Amsterdam, Harry said the project was partly inspired by a seven-year-old boy he met on a working trip to the Caribbean, who told him: “Because of your country, my country’s coral reef is dying.”
The initiative has been in the planning for around two years but with the prince making headlines in recent weeks over his use of private jets the timing of the launch has been criticised, with some accusations of hypocrisy. The companies involved were unable to share concrete plans, saying only that further announcements could be expected within the next 18 months.
Why?
The partnership acknowledges that there is a growing demand to travel more sustainably, while benefiting communities, the environment and wildlife, but accepts that the industry needs to be the catalyst for change.
TripAdvisor’s recent animal welfare initiative was well-received by its community of 390 million users. Booking.com is working with communities around the world to meet the demand for accommodation such as homestays, and has been supporting sustainable travel startups through its Booking Booster programme. This €2m-a-year fund has aided schemes including a social enterprise training trekking guides in Nepal and, in Africa, an app that helps connect tourists with entrepreneurs.
Skyscanner has been using an “eco rating” on its listings to promote greener choices but as a key player in the flight sales market, it will be scrutinised over whether it includes other forms of transport on the platform (it trialled rail travel earlier this year and abandoned the idea). Skyscanner is owned by Ctrip, the biggest tour operator in China – one of the fastest-growing markets in outbound tourism. And Visa, which has 3.3bn customers worldwide, says it has the ability to conduct extensive research into the success of sustainable travel. The companies have also said they are in discussions with NGOs, travel organisations and corporate partners about joining the initiative.
Possible successes, and problems?
The fact that very large travel organisations are involved means there could be potential for a new industry-wide certification or badge of sustainability – one with clear, demonstrable guidelines and achievements. However, the elephant in the room remains the issue of flying, and how travel can be sustainable unless we fly less. There was little discussion of this at the launch. The initiative appears to focus on boosting the benefits of travel for local communities and destinations where tourism is essential to their economy.
“We cannot dismiss the idea of doing something just because we cannot do everything,” Prince Harry said. “We can all do better, and while no one is perfect, we all have a responsibility for our own individual impact. The question is what we do to balance it out.”
Despite what many see as a lack of clarity over carbon-offsetting schemes, he went on to say that he felt carbon offsetting was the way forward.
When questioned about how he had arrived in the Dutch capital, he said it was by “commercial flight” but that, unfortunately, he cannot rule out private air travel for safety reasons on some occasions.
