Prince Harry is in Scotland on February 26, 2020 to promote ecotourism in Scotland. As a champion for Scotland Prince Harry’s Travalyst partnered with the EICC, and tourism agency VisitScotland. The ambition of Travalyst is to change the impact of travel, for good. Travalyst wants to come up with innovative sustainable travel options that also benefit local communities creating a win- win for all stakeholders.

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. 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.

Prince Harry Founder of Travalyst

Purpose of Travalyst:

Innovative This first-of-its-kind initiative is dedicated to exploring and promoting sustainable travel solutions

• leveraging technology and strategic initiatives to help scale the global supply of sustainable travel options to meet the growing mass-market demand from consumers.
• Travalyst was created to mobilize the travel industry as a catalyst for good.
• To transform the future of travel for everyone,
• Provide better information to help choose holidays and trips that best support the destinations they’re visiting, including the local communities, wildlife and the environment.

Collaborative partners:

To make travel more sustainable through collaborative partnerships that bring together the collective expertise and perspectives of local communities, policymakers, governments, non-governmental organisations, other leading businesses and social entrepreneurs

Industry giants

• Booking.com- European travel giant
• Skyscanner- Scottish travel giant
• TripAdvisor- American travel giant
• Trip.com – Chinese travel giant
• Visa- global payments giant

Impact of travel on the environment:

• In 2018, the number of international trips taken globally each year reached 1.4bn, two years faster than original projections. (UNWTO)
• Since 2000, the number of trips taken annually by people around the world has more than doubled. (World Bank)
• Travel and tourism generated $8.8 trillion to the global economy in 2018. (WTTC)
• The continued rise in the number of people travelling indicates we will reach 1.8bn international trips by 2030, doubling the number of trips made annually in fewer than 20 years. (UNWTO)
• 1 in 10 of all jobs globally are travel related (WTTC)
• In 10 years, the number of tourists visiting countries in emerging markets will reach 1bn annually, making up 57% of all international trips globally. (UNWTO)
• 57% of all international trips by 2030 will include emerging market destinations (SussexRoyal Instagram)

Customer demand for travel sustainable options:

• The global sustainable tourism market is predicted to grow by $340bn, 10%, within the next four years. (TechNavio)
• 71% of global travellers think travel companies should offer more sustainable travel choices (Booking.com)
• 68% of people said it was important the money they spent on travel went back into local communities. (Booking.com)
• Over the last 12 months, 10 million travellers using Skyscanner selected the lowest CO2 emission flight option.
• 75% of Ctrip’s partners are committed to Ctrip’s 4R initiatives: to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle resources and Regenerate lives in the travel ecosystem.

The travel and tourism sector are constantly growing and contributes a significant impact to the world we live in today. The Duke sees it as one of the world’s biggest problems but believes this partnership can make it one its greatest solutions:

• 1.8 Billion trips will be made annually by 2030, and since 2000, the number of trips taken around the world has more than doubled
• 71% of global travellers think travel companies should offer more sustainable options
• $8.8 Trillion was generated to the global economy from travel and tourism last year
• 57% of all international trips by 2030 will include emerging market destinations

Travalyst plans to work closely with local communities in Scotland and providers, leveraging technology to help scale sustainable supply to meet the growing mass-market demand from consumers. Scotland has what is known for excess tourism which must be managed sustainably – ultimately, making sustainable travel options of all kinds easier for consumers to enjoy.