Prince Harry made a surprise visit to Shanghai (China), where he inaugurated the Sustainable Tourism Conference, highlighting the importance of environmentally responsible travel.
The Duke of Sussex emphasized the urgency of meeting climate and conservation goals by 2030, urging the tourism industry to reaffirm its environmental commitment.
## The role of Travalyst in the transformation towards sustainable tourism
Harry participated as the founder of Travalyst, an organization dedicated to promoting sustainability in travel, under the motto: “Changing the way we travel, forever.”
Travalyst collaborates with Google, Skyscanner, and Visa in developing a tool that displays the carbon emissions of each flight.
The goal is to allow travelers to choose flights with less environmental impact, similar to how they search for the most economical prices.
## The impact of travel on the carbon footprint
It is still unknown what type of flight Prince Harry took to China, but calculations indicate that:
– A round trip first-class flight from Los Angeles to Shanghai generates 6.31 tons of greenhouse gases.
– In a private plane, emissions could be between 10 and 100 times higher, depending on the aircraft.
## Climate change: a business challenge
At the Envision 2025 conference organized by Trip.com, Harry stated: “Climate change is not just an environmental challenge. It is a critical business emergency.”
He also emphasized the dual role of tourism:
– Catalyst for positive change.
– Source of environmental and cultural impact.
“The challenges will increase, but significant change never comes easily. The true measure of our commitment is how we respond when the path becomes difficult. We must never give up,” he concluded.
## How can the industry respond to this challenge?
According to FlightFree USA, avoiding a trip from Los Angeles to Shanghai is equivalent to carpooling for 3.7 years, reducing emissions.
The activist group’s calculator also points out that a single trip generates more pollution than that emitted by 3.5 billion people in a year.
These data reinforce the need to seek more responsible alternatives aligned with the industry’s sustainability goals.
*Cover photo: Trip.com/Travalyst*
