It has been announced that PRINCE HARRY’S sustainable travel initiative has teamed up with tech giant Google.
Travalyst, Prince Harry’s global sustainable travel initiative launched in 2019, has gained a new major supporter. Google has joined the coalition led by the Duke of Sussex as a partner, as announced this week.
Travalyst’s mission is to identify and implement systemic changes that will help mainstream sustainable tourism and travel.
The non-profit organisation meets with key players in the travel industry to accomplish this.
According to the organization’s CEO, the partnership with Google will enable people to make more informed decisions about sustainable travel.
Travalyst’s CEO, Sally Davey, said: “The Travalyst Coalition aims to use its collective influence to encourage widespread adoption of sustainability standards.
“As a member of the Travalyst Coalition, we’re excited to continue this work with Google, taking advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create positive, transformative change in the travel industry.
“The Google travel team has made a global commitment to assisting consumers in making more environmentally friendly travel choices, and their approach is strongly aligned with Travalyst’s collaboration principles.”
This initiative, which was founded by travel giants Booking.com, Skyscanner, Trip.com Group, Tripadvisor, and financial services corporation Visa, was spearheaded by Prince Harry.
Following the announcement, Google’s chief sustainability officer stated: “When it comes to climate change, we need to find solutions on a large scale, which is especially true when it comes to travel and tourism.
“We hope to build tools and technology that enable travellers and businesses all over the world to prioritise sustainability by collaborating with Travalyst and our industry partners.”
In September 2019, when he launched the organisation in Amsterdam, Prince Harry announced that he had partnered with travel giants.
He recalled how a conversation he had with a seven-year-old boy while on a royal tour of the Caribbean had inspired him to take action on sustainable tourism at the time.
“Because of your country, my country’s coral reef is dying,” Harry said, reporting the boy’s words.
In its 2021 ‘Re-Emergence of Travel’ report, the organisation, which is now an independent non-profit based in the UK, acknowledged the devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic on tourism.
The Duke of Sussex addressed the issue in the report’s foreword.
“This global health crisis continues to grip many, forcing communities and nations into one of the most trying periods in modern history,” he said.
“Those working in and relying on travel and tourism have experienced acute hardship,” he said, paying tribute to all those who work and live off tourism.
“If anyone needed reminding,” he continued, “this has demonstrated just how important the industry is to families and communities all over the world.”
The Duke had already mentioned this in July 2020, when he spoke at Travalyst’s virtual summit about the travel industry’s crisis and urged its members to “build back better” following the Covid pandemic.
In his opening remarks at the summit, Harry said: “Many of you who are here today rely on visitors to make a living.
“Businesses are suffering greatly, and I’ve heard from some of you who are currently struggling to feed your families and make ends meet due to a lack of tourists and thus income.
“We must rebuild, but we must do so more effectively.
“And that means we have a responsibility to reshape this industry in a way that benefits everyone and everything for decades to come, a responsibility we cannot avoid or dismiss.”
The Google-Travalyst partnership isn’t the first time Harry has been linked to the search giant.
He was said to have attended a Google Camp climate change conference in Italy two years ago, which included Leonardo di Caprio and Naomi Campbell among the attendees.
