Prince Harry addresses his and Meghan Markle’s private jet use

Prince Harry announced the first of his and Meghan Markle’s own Sussex Royal Foundation’s programs today and directly commented on the couple’s private jet use, as the program is based on eco-friendly travel.

Harry launched Travalyst in Amsterdam, which will help tourists make more environmentally-friendly decisions as they travel (carbon offsetting tips, ways to support the local community, etc.), Harper’s Bazaar reported today. According to the outlet’s royal reporter Omid Scobie, Harry worked for more than two years on this program with Booking.com, SkyScanner, CTrip, TripAdvisor, and Visa.

‘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,’ Harry said in a statement on the program. ‘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.’

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Today, during the launch event of the new global initiative ‘Travalyst’, The Duke of Sussex shared his remarks on the exciting new initiative from Amsterdam. #Travalyst, an initiative led by The Duke and founded by Booking.com, Ctrip, Skyscanner, TripAdvisor and Visa, sees a pressing need for increased collaboration to make sustainability a priority across our entire travel experience – and we believe that collective, collaborative action will be critical to achieve this. The travel and tourism sector is constantly growing and contributes a significant impact to the world we live in today. The Duke sees it as one of the worlds 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 We plan to work closely with local communities and providers, leveraging technology to help scale sustainable supply to meet the growing mass-market demand from consumers – ultimately, making sustainable travel options of all kinds easier for consumers to identify, book and enjoy. Click our link in bio to read The Duke of Sussex full speech from today Photo ©️ SussexRoyal

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Sep 3, 2019 at 7:24am PDT

During his appearance in Amsterdam, Harry explained why he and Meghan Markle took private jets for their two vacations this summer. Their decision sparked controversy in the British tabloids, despite the fact that other royal family members, including Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince Andrew, and more, also sometimes take private jets when traveling.

‘We can all do better and while no one is perfect, we all have a responsibility for our own individual impact,’ Harry said, via People. ‘The question is what we do to balance it out.’

He was asked about his private jet use more directly in a Q&A later. Harry said, ‘I came here by commercial. I spend 99% of my life traveling the world by commercial. Occasionally there needs to be an opportunity based on a unique circumstance to ensure my family are safe and it’s genuinely as simple as that.’

Image: Getty
Source: Good Housekeeping US

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