Prince Harry appeared via video link at the annual general meeting of Travalyst as he pleaded with the travel industry to help local communities in travel hotspots
Prince Harry has made a surprise appearance at the annual general meeting of Travalyst and urged the travel industry to “do more for local communities”.
The Duke of Sussex said the industry must do better by the local communities in key holiday destinations, saying without them there would be no tourism business at all in years to come.
Appearing via a videolink from his home in Montecito, Harry told the meeting: “Travel and tourism relies on destinations, held together by communities, without which we have nowhere to travel to. Communities are the beating heart of travel, and we must do better by the people who are the custodians of the places we visit.”
For all the latest on news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US.
READ MORE: King Charles ‘hinted to Harry and Meghan they should come to Balmoral,’ claims royal expert
His words come after both he and Meghan Markle faced accusations of hypocrisy after being seen to take private jets to attend a number of events and engagements. In response Harry had claimed he only does so sporadically or in circumstances which helped to keep his family safe. He also insisted he always offsets his carbon dioxide emissions.
Last year, Travalyst issued a statement about Harry’s future with the firm after he was omitted from an announcement about their revamp. They revealed they had been in transition from a “pilot phase” to a new board of five people with “world-class expertise” – with no mention of Harry.
However, in a follow-up statement, they made it clear Harry was very much still involved. It read: “Prince Harry is the founder of Travalyst and remains an invaluable part of this organisation. His role has not changed in any way, and he is regularly involved in strategic discussions and decisions alongside our partners and board.”
Harry founded Travalyst in 2019, prior to stepping down from his royal duties. He launched it with the aim of making the travel industry a more sustainable outlet.
It’s an independent non-profit body that has the backing of a number of huge tourism industry companies, such as Google, Booking.com, TripAdvisor, and Expedia. The body’s aims is to help travellers cut their carbon emissions, stop any over-tourism and to help local economies to grow.
Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .
