Call me Harry: Duke in tourism plea
● Duke spells out dangers of surge in visitor numbers
Prince Harry told a tourism summit in Edinburgh that some of the world’s most beautiful destinations risk being “destroyed” and their communities “overwhelmed” by surging visitor numbers.
The Duke of Sussex, who insisted he should simply be referred to as “Harry” at the event, described Scotland as “one of the fastest growing destinations in the world” at the event, one of his last official royal engagements.
Prince Harry used the event to set out his ambitions for a new sustainable tourism initiative he has created to “lead and mobilise” the industry worldwide and will be “a catalyst for positive change” in areas affected by tourism.
The Duke joined forces last autumn with Booking.com, Skyscanner, Ctrip, Tripadvisor and Visa to forge a partnership to encourage travellers to make “environmentally friendly choices.”
Key aims of his Travalyst initiative, which was launched last September, include “supporting local people, protecting wildlife, tackling climate change and environmental damage, and alleviating overtourism.” His “coalition” has suggested a worldwide “scoring system” be introduced to highlight eco-friendly airlines, hotels and experiences.
Speaking at the EICC, the prince called for a collective effort to persuade people to take holidays that bring “social, environmental and economic benefits” to communities and destinations.
The number of overnight stays has soared in Edinburgh by almost a third in the space of seven years, to 4.26 million. The city was chosen to host the summit less than a year after being named one of the world’s worst overtourism hotspots, along with Rome, Venice and Barcelona.
The Duke said: “Travalyst is a coalition of partners with a shared goal to transform the future of tourism and travel for everyone, to give people access to better information, and ensure the future development of tourism positively supports the destinations that the industry relies on and that their communities depend on.
“We believe travel is a good thing. It’s the heart of human experience, of cultural connections and of new friendship. It’s a global powerhouse that employs hundreds of millions of people, keeping culture alive, protecting some of the world’s most precious spaces and introduces us to people, places and wildlife we’ve only seen on a screen.
“As most of you in this room will know, tourism is one of the world’s largest economic sectors, generating nearly nine trillion dollars each year, representing one in 10 jobs and more than 10 per cent of the world’s GDP - and it is rapidly growing. It is predicted that tourism will reach more than 1.8 billion travellers by 2030.
“If we don’t act and in large part get ahead of this inevitable surge, this massive increase will mean we see more of the world’s most beautiful destinations closed or destroyed, more communities becoming overwhelmed,
PICTURE: PA
more beaches shut because of pollution, and animals and wildlife driven from their natural habitat, which has a huge impact on communities and reduces tourism opportunities.
“We’re here to find ways to make sure that does not happen. We want a future where people are able to take holidays and trips that have social, environmental and economic benefits to communities and destinations built in.”
“This massive increase will mean we see more of the world’s most beautiful destinations closed or destroyed”
THE DUKE OF SUSSEX