The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have aligned themselves with environmental causes, yet came under fire recently for flying via private jet to France and Spain within days of each trip.
According to CNN Travel, fans and critics alike will be pleased to know, however, that the royal couple has opted to travel on a commercial flight for their upcoming Royal Tour of Southern Africa in late September, including their stop in South Africa.
Image via YouTube / The Royal Family
Prince Harry is also at the helm of a new sustainable travel foundation called Travalyst. Travalyst is an initiative founded by leading global travel booking agencies TripAdvisor, Booking.com, Visa, Skyscanner (flights comparisons) and Chinese travel agency, Ctrip.
The founders aim to use their influence to promote worldwide initiatives that have the ability to preserve destinations, ensure that local communities thrive and protect wildlife and environments through responsible practices.
‘As tourism inevitably grows, it is critically important to accelerate the adoption of sustainable practices worldwide; and to balance growth with the needs of the environment and the local population,’ Prince Harry says. ‘Bringing companies, consumers and communities together is our best chance to protect destinations and ecosystems for future generations.’
While some are optimistic about his approach, others are more sceptical. Here are some perspectives from social media:
You think anyone told Prince Harry that you can get a Eurostar to Amsterdam and don’t have to fly at all?
— Patrick O’Flynn (@oflynnsocial) September 3, 2019
Prince Harry launches eco tourism drive in major speech in Amsterdam this morning 🇳🇱.
He WILL address that private jet thing.
He travelled here yesterday by commercial jet (and offset the CO2) ✈️ pic.twitter.com/8sT7rGtPh3— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) September 3, 2019
“We can all do better” – Prince Harry says “no one is perfect” as he launches a global initiative to encourage more environmentally friendly travel.
Get more on this story here: https://t.co/lt366QNhzR pic.twitter.com/raiA1EEk41
— Sky News (@SkyNews) September 3, 2019
So “Prince Harry” can zip around the world on private jets, but we peasants mustn’t fly to save the planet? Hypocrisy much? https://t.co/l8T5Ipdviw
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) September 3, 2019
We need to reduce our carbon footprints so that Prince Harry can still use his private jet. I’ve done the calculations. Each year, to offset the royal family’s annual carbon footprint, a resident of the UK must give up driving for 21 years. https://t.co/gu491IuFAR
— Jarvis Dupont (@JarvisDupont) September 3, 2019
