The Duke of Sussex wants the event to "help us all affect the change that we are working towards" which due to the pandemic "is needed now more than ever". The Duke wants his new non-profit Travalyst to be a catalyst for change, wanting to promote sustainable tourism, claiming it is needed now more than ever.
"Since then none of us could have predicted the global shock and impact that Covid-19 is having on the world – especially on travel and the local communities that depend on tourism. Many of you joining us today rely on visitors for your livelihoods – businesses are hurting significantly. I’ve heard from some of you that are struggling to put food on your families tables and to make ends meet – because there are no tourists and therefore no income. We need to build back, but we need to build back better." the Duke said, on a video link from one of his new homes in Los Angeles.
"This is what today is all about. We want to make sure the industry that recovers supports everyone fairly, protects destinations, better supports local communities and is truly resilient. - Before the pandemic, we witnessed more and more young people interested 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 catalyse. There is a long road to recovery yet – we all know this – but there is undoubtedly an opportunity for us to work together and built back better.".
Travel as a catalyst for good, is the foundation of the non-profit organisation in association with Booking.com, Skyscanner, Trip.com, TripAdvisor and Visa. The message of sustainable travel seems somewhat mixed when it is delivered by someone who has a fondness of taking private jet flights, indeed in the past year alone, according to media reports, the Duke has travelled at least 10 times by private aircraft, which if true, reeks of the hypocrisy he accuses others of. The future of travel is at a junction, it can start to reemerge in the same way as before, or it can change and become better, sustainable and manageable. The fact that budget carriers like Ryanair and Wizz are back offering flights from around £19 and a raft of low-cost package holidays for next year being snapped up at £129 might well indicate the travelling public have already chosen the way it is going to be.
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