FOCUS SUSTAINABILITY
Prince Harry hosts UK launch of sustainable tourism venture at the EICC
Te Edinburgh venue was chosen in part due to its own green credentials
BY KEVIN O’SULLIVAN M
ore than 200 industry travel and tourism executives gathered in Edinburgh at the end of February for
a global sustainability initiative developed by Prince Harry. Travalyst – a partnership led by
by the Duke of Sussex and featur- ing heavyweight industry support- ers – staged its UK launch at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre after the venue impressed with its own green measures. Prince Harry, who journeyed from
London by train to Edinburgh, made two short speeches at the confer- ence, which was organised in secret and amidst tight security and backed by
Booking.com, Skyscanner, Visa and Trip Advisor. Te prince – who insisted everyone just call him ‘Harry’ – warned about the destructive effect of tourism on the environment and said the new venture will be about ‘transforming the future of tourism and travel for everyone’. Travalyst – effectively a start-up
organisation working under Harry’s Sussex Royal Foundation – will be a resource to help consumers make informed choices about how they
14 | EVENTSBASE | SPRING 2020
“SCOTLAND IS ONE OF THE FASTEST- GROWING TOURIST DESTINATIONS WORLDWIDE AND IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF A MORE SUSTAINABLE APPROACH WHICH IS WHY YOUR INSIGHT INTO THESE ISSUES IS SO INCREDIBLY VALUABLE TO US”
The Duke of Sussex
travel, and how to minimise their impact on the environment. Te key themes of what was briefed as a ‘working summit’ for the prince – and which were integrated into morning panel discussions and also a series of behind-closed-doors breakout sessions - were ‘accom- modation, aviation, experience and communities’. Harry said: “I want to help
create a platform where all of us concerned about these issues can work together, where competitors can unite and incentivise a positive systemic change. Tere’s a reason why this hasn’t been tried before, but with our partners we have the best shot. “Travalyst’s founding partners —
Booking.com, Skyscanner, Trip- advisor,
Trip.com and Visa — have joined forces to lead and mobilise the tourism industry and will be a catalyst for positive change. We have made a great start since
launching in Amsterdam, but we will not reach our goal of a more sustainable industry without on-the-ground experience and expertise, and this is why we’re here today.” He added: “We want to hear
truths and perspectives from across the industry. We know that we do not need to reinvent the wheel – a lot of great work has already been done, but our research, again, shows that many of these endeav- ours have failed to scale or reach the consciousness of consumers.”
THE TRAVALYST Scotland Sum- mit was also held with the support of VisitScotland, an organisation
Prince Harry praised for its ‘vital’ and ‘forward-looking work.’ He said: “We have to work
together; with partners, experts, operators, communities and oth- ers to scale up the good practices already being used around the world. Scotland is one of the fastest-growing tourist destinations worldwide and is at the forefront of a more sustainable approach which is why your insight into these issues is so incredibly valuable to us.” Lord Turso, VisitScotland’s
chairman, paid tribute to the industry in Scotland, which has worked hard to reduce its own carbon footprint but insisted it was vital that ‘we get our own house in
Prince Harry mingles with delegates at his Travalyst event at the EICC
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