Prince Harry's Initiative Travalyst Celebrates Its Five Year Anniversary in N.Y.C.: 'Massive Force for Good'

The Duke of Sussex, too, just celebrated a milestone, turning 40 years old on Sept. 15 ahead of his whirlwind trip to New York City

Prince Harry’s busy New York City trip spotlights many causes close to his heart — including his work with the environmental tourism initiative Travalyst, which is celebrating a milestone anniversary.

The Duke of Sussex, 40, founded Travalyst five years ago in 2019, when he was still a working royal. The initiative was developed with a mission to help “both travelers and travel companies make better, greener choices,” according to its website, and on Sept. 24, Prince Harry joined the non-profit as it announced its strategy for the next five years.

"I've seen firsthand how travel and tourism can be a double-edged sword, both a force that has the potential to do tremendous good or, if mismanaged, inflict significant harm," Prince Harry said in a statement. "These experiences, as well as years of conversation and debate around campfires with experts that I'm proud to call friends, have shaped my understanding of the critical bond between people, wildlife and the environment we share."

Related: Prince Harry Is Not Parting Ways with Travalyst Despite Reports: 'His Role Has Not Changed’

Part of the company's five-year strategy includes an initiative to centralize the collection and distribution of sustainability data for key aspects of travel and tourism to help travelers make informed decisions about how and where they travel to, according to a release from Travalyst.

"By 2030, we're expecting 1.8 billion international arrivals each year, nearly double the numbers we saw just two decades ago," Prince Harry said in a statement. "That kind of growth can only be sustainable if we prioritize not just profit, but people and places, too. And this is where Travalyst's work becomes so crucial. Together, Travalyst and its partners represent a combined market value of nearly $3 trillion. This is a massive force for good, and we're committed to using it to ensure that travel not only sustains communities, but helps them thrive."

Long term, Travalyst aims to consider other areas of travel and tourism such as rail, activities and destinations. It also announced Sept. 24 it had expanded its leadership team to include two executive hires — Julie Cheetham, who is the company's new chief operations officer, and who also helped found the Weeva platform, which Travalyst announced on Sept. 24 that it had acquired. Also brought onto the team is Amina Razvi, who will serve as chief partnerships and development officer.

"Today, there is no single source of truth for sustainability data for the tourism industry," Travalyst CEO Sally Davey said in a statement. "The information that does exist is fragmented, incomplete and often behind paywalls. This can leave the industry feeling overwhelmed and frustrated, and travelers confused and disengaged. We want to help change that. Travalyst is working to align the industry behind the same sustainability data for accommodation providers, and then scale this information so that travelers see the full picture of where they are staying, beyond price and reviews. We aim to do this in a way that democratises access to information and ensures vital sustainability data is available to everyone.”

Although the company wasn’t established until 2019, Harry said he first thought of the idea as far back as 2012. During a visit on behalf of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, to a coral reef replanting project in the Caribbean, Harry had a memorable conversation with a young boy. The meeting “touched on a powerful truth,” Harry said in a September 2019 speech.

“I had a 7-year-old come up to me, tug my shirt and say with such conviction, ‘Because of your country, my country’s coral reef is dying.’ This boy, despite his age, had touched on a powerful truth. He already understood that the environmental damage caused to the reef was created by the actions of people outside of his country. And he was absolutely spot on.”

Harry added, “His words deeply affected me, because they revealed the full impact outsiders can have on a community without even realizing it.”

As Harry launched Travalyst five years ago, he said he learned through his own travels that “our world faces environmental challenges of unprecedented scope and scale,” he said. “From deforestation and the loss of biodiversity to ocean plastics and poaching, the problems can sometimes seem too big to fix.”

Related: Prince Harry Reveals 7-Year-Old Boy Inspired His Green Travel Initiative: 'He Tugged on My Shirt'

As an avid traveler himself, Harry, aims to travel responsibly. “By promoting and incentivizing sustainable decision-making, by helping us as consumers stay better informed and by empowering communities, Travalyst will strive to change both the travel industry and the world for the better — and for the long term,” the Duke of Sussex said at Travalyst’s 2019 launch.

Of Harry’s passion, Davey said “I think having Prince Harry involved in these sorts of discussions is vital.” She added of the Duke of Sussex, “It’s so obvious that he cares.”

Harry’s trip to N.Y.C. kicked off on Sept. 23 with engagements with The Diana Award, The HALO Trust and African Parks. On Sept. 24, in addition to work with Travalyst, Harry also took part in the Clinton Global Initiative and spoke about his deep appreciation for the country of Lesotho at the United Nations.

Related: Prince Harry Displays Sweet Photo of Mom Princess Diana During Surprise Virtual Appearance

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Harry’s visit to N.Y.C. was announced via a spokesperson on Aug. 27, when it was made public that the Duke of Sussex would visit N.Y.C. during UN General Assembly High-level Week and Climate Week. Climate Week kicked off on Sept. 22 and runs until Sept. 29, and High-level Week runs from Sept. 23 to Sept. 27.

Prince Harry is visiting New York City to “advance a number of his patronages and philanthropic activities,” the spokesperson said, adding he would also “be furthering the work of The Archewell Foundation, the nonprofit organization he co-founded with his wife Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex.”

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