We have a Prince Harry sighting! Looking sharp and on script, the Duke of Sussex gave the opening speech at a virtual conference for his sustainable tourism project, Travalyst, on Wednesday.

From a quiet room in Los Angeles, Harry spoke about the importance of “community” and the industry’s “responsibility” to reshape the way we all travel post COVID-19.

Harry launched Travalyst in September of 2019. He co-founded the sustainable travel initiative with Booking.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, TripAdvisor and Visa. Harry says the project was primarily inspired by a child he met in the Caribbean, who told the duke, “Because of your country, my country’s coral reef is dying.” Travalyst is considered an independent non-profit organization.

TRANSCRIPT: 

…Travalyst wants to help. And we are here to help. Not just now but in the long term as well. This is what today is all about. To listen, learn, and hear directly from you, a group of inspiring leaders that are responding to the crisis of COVID-19 whilst making every effort to maintain and even accelerate the high standards of sustainability that you were pioneering before the pandemic.

Your being part of this recovery and doing everything you can to help communities around the world bounce back, is not a shift in mission or a shift in values. This is your mission, these are your values and I know it’s not easy but we all commend you.

As many of you realized sometime ago, destinations are under immense pressure. They are suffering significant damage, communities are struggling, habitats are being destroyed, and wild life is being driven out, or worse, wiped out.

We want to ensure that the industry that recovers is one that supports everyone fairly. One that protects destinations, better supports local communities, and is truly resilient.

Before the pandemic unfolded, we witnessed more and more young people expressing an interest in authentic travel experiences and the ability to partake in trips that are greener, that allow them to support local communities, uphold heritage and protect destinations and cultures.

This is the future of travel and the future that Travalyst is here to support and (inaudible).

Over the years I’ve encountered countless, passionate, determined, and talented people around the world who are dedicated to the wellbeing of their local community. Their efforts ensure that tourism is the economic lifeblood of their region. While crucially protecting the local environment too. I am so excited for you to hear from some of them today, as you’ll realize that you are far from being alone in this mission.

Earlier this year, we hosted a summit in Scotland to begin exploring how we can drive towards a new model for tourism. What stood out was the need for a model that brings together all levels of industry and actively champions the awe inspiring work that’s been happening at the grassroots level.

Travalyst brings to the table some of the largest global brands in the industry and the summit today, is deliberately focused on local voices. Your voices. The struggles we face are shouldered together and the solutions must be too. This is surely how we shape the future. There is a long road to recover ahead, we all know this. But it is undoubtably an opportunity for us to work together and build back better.

As we approach the work ahead, let’s us not forget that our humanity is too defined as much by what makes us unique. Our cultures, our beliefs, experiences, and the environments around us. As it is by our shared values, our desire to make our communities better, compassion for our friends, family, and neighbors and our hope for each of us to be safe, and healthy, prosperous and happy.

It is in how we honor and cultivate this balance, between the unique and the shared, that we build mutual respect, foster empathy, and advance economic progress in a way that is just to each other and the world around us.

In this, we all have a role to play. Especially those of us who can harness the platform to help. My hope, for what happens after today is for all of us to come together online and off to realize these goals.

So, enough from me but thank you for your continued dedication to what is right and what is important. We are really looking forward to hearing how we at Travalyst can work with you to put purpose together with profit. The tourism industry and our planet can prosper when we work with communities at a grassroots level in reshaping the future.

Thank you for your time and thank you for your commitment.

END

This is the first time we have seen Prince Harry since portions of the book Finding Freedom have hit the internet. We are happy to see him busy and working towards a better future.

Kinsey Schofield is the Editor-in-Chief of To Di For Daily and you can follow her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.