Prince Harry Launches Sustainable Travel Initiative After Private Jet Scandal
While Greta Thunberg was getting ready to sail across the Atlantic in a high-speed racing yacht to reach the UN climate summit in New York City, Prince Harry and his family were using Elton John’s private jet to vacation in Nice and Ibiza this summer.
“No one is perfect,” Prince Harry explained during his speech for the launch of Travalyst, a global initiative aimed at making travel more sustainable and reducing its environmental impact.
“I spend 99% of my life traveling the world by commercial,” he said in his defense. “Occasionally there needs to be an opportunity based on a unique circumstance to ensure that my family are safe — it’s generally as simple as that.”
Travalyst, a project that has been three years in the making, is partnering with companies like Booking.com, Skyscanner, TripAdvisor, and Visa to encourage sustainable practices in the travel industry, community economic development, and improve conservation.
According to Booking.com’s 2019 Sustainable Travel Report, 71 percent of world travelers think travel companies should offer more sustainable travel choices, and Travalyst is here to make it happen. The initiative hopes to explore new avenues for protecting wildlife, addressing climate change and environmental damage, and reducing the impact of overtourism.
“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,” said the Duke of Sussex. “Bringing companies, consumers and communities together is our best chance to protect destinations and ecosystems for future generations.”