Traveling like Royalty and Keeping it Green; Prince Harry Launches Sustainable Travel Initiative
Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, recently launched a new Sustainable Travel Initiative to better improve global tourism in favor of the environment and local communities. Collaborating alongside massive travel companies including Skyscanner, Booking.com, and Visa, Harry’s new project, known as Travalyst, aims to promote sustainable travel.
Photo courtesy of Travalyst.org
“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.” Says Harry during the Travalyst launch in Amsterdam.
The organization’s aim is to focus on benefitting local communities who host travelers, utilizing our presence for good to protect plant and wildlife, offsetting carbon emissions and excess waste, and removing pressure from congested tourist areas.
“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,” Says Harry in a statement on the initiative.
Travelers want to make a positive impact on the world during their travelers. According to Booking.com’s 2019 Sustainable Travel Report, 68% of people find that it is important that their money spent on travel went back into the local communities in which they visit. With that, 78% of travelers actively seek authentic experiences that are representative of local culture.
“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,” says Harry.
Yampu understands the importance of responsible travel and the impact on local communities, their economy and the environment. The Yampu team believes that responsible travel is a means of not only experiencing other cultures but supporting these destinations and sustaining their ecosystems and communities. Through our partners, such as Pack for a Purpose, Yampu offers several different opportunities for their clients to give back to the destinations they visit in ways that are most needed in the region.
