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Prince Harry received a belated birthday gift during his trip to the Big Apple! The Duke of Sussex, who turned 40 on Sept. 15, was gifted a present while at an event celebrating the fifth anniversary of Travalyst.
Sally Davey, CEO of Travalyst, exclusively told HOLA! USA, "On the way out, we gave him a gift, actually, and we did a little kind of mini celebration because to be honest, he was amazing."
"He gave so much more of his time than he was really meant to, here meeting people and talking because he wants to actually meet the hotels, he wants to meet the industry, hear about what they're doing and connect," Sally said. "So we ended up running really long on time. So as he was going to the lift, we kind of gave him his gift and had a little mini celebration, which was lovely."
Harry founded the global initiative Travalyst—which aims to to change the way individuals travel, for good by aligning the travel industry behind clear, consistent and credible sustainability information—back in 2019. Since its launch, Travalyst has assembled a coalition of brands that includes Amadeus, Booking.com, Expedia Group, Google, Mastercard, Sabre, Skyscanner, Travelport, Trip.com Group, Tripadvisor and Visa.
Sally told HOLA! USA that Harry has been "fundamental" to Travalyst. "It was his vision that started us on this journey. He set that North Star for us, and he's been with us every single step of the way through the great times, through the incredibly tough times. In fact, he's probably been there more during the tough times, actually, because in the good times, he's like, 'Great. Fantastic. Crack on. Keep doing your great stuff.' But in the tough times, he always says, 'Tell me how I can help.' And he always is there," Sally shared.
She added, "He's always across all the work. We have frequent calls, so he understands everything that we're doing, and he's always keen to understand, how can I help to go faster, further, better."
The Duke spoke at the fifth anniversary event on Sept. 24 in New York City. “I’ve seen firsthand how travel and tourism can be a double-edged sword, both a force that has the potential to do tremendous good, or if mismanaged, inflict significant harm," Harry said in his remarks. "These experiences, as well as years of conversation and debate around campfires with experts that I’m proud to call friends, have shaped my understanding of the critical bond between people, wildlife and the environment we share.”
During the event, which coincided with Climate Week NYC, Travalyst announced its next five-year strategy: an initiative to centralize the collection and distribution of sustainability data for key aspects of travel and tourism in order to help travelers make informed decisions about how and where they travel to.
Earlier in the day, the Prince attended Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso of Lesotho's side event at the United Nations, and spoke at the CGI 2024 Annual Meeting. Prior to the Duke's trip to New York, Harry's spokesperson shared that while in town, the royal would "participate in engagements with African Parks, The HALO Trust, The Diana Award, and Travalyst" and would also be "furthering the work" of his and wife Meghan Markle's nonprofit organization, the Archewell Foundation.