The Duke of Sussex launches a Sustainable Travel initiative, two years in the planning, and addresses his recent controversial travel decisions.
The long-term initiative is focused on tackling the travel industry’s impact on climate change, improving wildlife conservation and finding ways to better protect the environment in top tourist spots around the world, along with boosting the tourism dollars used to assist local communities and seeking answers to the increasing problem of over-tourism.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/life...94e8dc-ce2d-11e9-a620-0a91656d7db6_story.html
Travalyst is intended to capitalize 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-minded companies, organizations, NGOs, and changemakers to transform the future of travel into a more sustainable one.
The Duke of Sussex launches new global sustainable travel initiative: 'Travalyst' | Markets Insider
Travalyst comes 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 weeks after the duke and his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, came under fire for traveling on private jets, which have a greater relative carbon impact than commercial planes.
The consortium aims to educate people about sustainable travel and make it easier for them to understand whether their own travels are helping or hurting the planet and who is benefiting from travel dollars.
Prince Harry to Launch Green Travel Initiative
Asked directly about his own travel choices as he hosted a Q&A on sustainable tourism, the Duke was offered the chance to dodge the question by the compere but said he was happy to "give a commitment".
"I came here [to Amsterdam] on commercial," he said. "I spend 99 per cent of my life travelling the world by commercial.
"Occasionally there needs to be an opportunity based on unique circumstance to ensure that my family are safe.
"It's genuinely as simple as that. But as I said in my speech, it is about balance.
"If I have to do that - and it's not a decision I would want to take but if I have to do that - then I will ensure, as I have done previously and will continue to ensure that I do, is to balance out the impact that I have.
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“Sometimes the scale of the conservation crisis feels overwhelming and that individual actions can’t make a difference.
“I’ve certainly felt that – but I’ve learned that we cannot dismiss the idea of trying to do something, just because we can’t do everything.
“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.”
Duke of Sussex defends private jet use saying it's essential for his family's safety
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