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How Would Your Vacation Rate You? Prince Harry’s Sustainable Travel Habits Were Put to the Test in This New Video

Prince Harry's sustainable travel firm Travalyst released a new ad campaign that asks: What if your vacation rated *your* eco-footprint?

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Angelica Pizza
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Prince Harry's eco-travel firm, Travalyst, promotes sustainable travel habits in New Zealand in a recent five-minute ad—and it asks how your holiday would rate you.

When many of us plan a trip, we scroll through endless reviews on Yelp, Airbnb, Google Reviews, and more to determine whether hotels, restaurants, and other destinations are worth our time and money. And when the trip is over, many of us leave a review with a rating out of five stars, so the next person can plan accordingly.

But what if we flipped the switch? Instead of rating your vacation on a five-star scale, what if your vacation rated you—based on how sustainable your travel habits were?

Prince Harry's sustainable tourism non-profit asks that exact question (and even gives the Duke of Sussex a rating) in its latest ad campaign.

Prince Harry's Sustainable Travel Campaign Rates Tourists' Habits

https://youtu.be/V_sUwhZhTTY

The campaign features the Duke of Sussex jogging, and he's stopped by a rating agent who analyzes Prince Harry's previous trip to New Zealand. The rating agent holds up a lollipop wrapper, claiming the Duke dropped it on the beach.

The agent then tells Prince Harry he scored three stars, listing off that Prince Harry used one towel during his stay (his room had 12, however), purchased local honey, and did not keep the faucet running while brushing his teeth. While these are all normal activities travelers do, each one comes with its own environmental impact—one that many of us rarely consider when on vacation.

On the Travalyst website, vacationers can now take a quiz to discover how their holiday would rate them from a sustainability perspective. The survey asks how travelers prefer to spend their vacation (from the comfort of their resort or out in the wilderness), and it even asks travelers to consider why they choose their destinations. (Is it Insta-worthy? Is everyone else doing it?)

As Prince Harry mentions in the ad, the rating can be done via email—and that's exactly how travelers can participate in a survey to help research.

What Is Travalyst, Anyway?

The eco-travel firm Travalyst was founded in 2019 by Prince Harry. And today, the not-for-profit partners with several travel agencies and marketplaces, including Booking.com, Skyscanner, Tripadvisor, Visa, and Google.

Travalyst's goal? To help travelers make more sustainable choices—and to make those sustainable choices an accessible option no matter where travelers are going. The organization recognizes that the tourism industry accounts for about 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, and that needs to change.

To combat climate change and allow the travel industry to thrive, Travalyst is prioritizing positive impact travel. And the organization even has goals to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030.

The organization also prioritizes protecting wildlife, preserving the environment, and thriving communities. Travalyst is transforming the tourism industry, and it's putting the planet and the people first. But it's not the only company making a change.

The Travel Industry Is Making Sustainable Travel Easier Than Ever

According to the UN World Tourism Organization, approximately 1.8 billion people will travel internationally by 2030. And more people traveling internationally means greater environmental footprints, from increased transportation emissions to increased electricity, waste, water usage, and more.

Fortunately, sustainable travel is on the rise. Our research shows that the majority of Americans believe sustainable travel is important. And about 82% of surveyed Americans say they intend to make more eco-friendly decisions when planning their next trip. 

To make sustainable travel accessible to everyone, the travel industry is taking on eco-travel innovations across all sectors, from booking flights to hotel rooms. Airlines like United Airlines and Delta are cutting back on emissions. Finding eco-certified hotels is easier than ever with Google Hotels. And plant-based eating is even becoming more accessible in cities across the country, like Austin, Denver, and more.

However, as Travalyst's campaign mentions, the way we travel is ultimately up to us. And it's up to us to make more sustainable choices when on the road.