Transforming Travel’s Future

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex & Founder, Travalyst

Moderated by Sarah Kopit, Editor-in-Chief, Skift

THE VERDICT

Travel leaders at Skift Global Forum spent two days discussing traveler value. Prince Harry highlighted the importance of measuring destination health, pointing out that while metrics like RevPAR and visitor numbers are common, there’s no standard for assessing whether destinations are thriving or declining. He proposed “destination lifetime value” as a crucial KPI, advocating that it should be integrated into business strategy rather than treated as a separate sustainability concern.

PATHS FORWARD

• Add destination health to the KPI dashboard.
  Prince Harry urged attendees to consider how their KPIs actually measure the success of destinations. He posed important questions: “Are local communities benefiting? Are natural resources protected?” Companies unaware of their tourism’s impact on reliant destinations face both measurement gaps and business risks.

• Widen the funnel to distribute demand.
  He emphasized the industry’s role in promoting lesser-known destinations instead of overloading popular ones. Distributing tourism helps safeguard communities and extends the destinations’ commercial viability.

• Ensure tourism benefits flow back to local communities.
  Prince Harry shared his long-term observation of a Botswana community that hasn’t seen improvement despite increased tourism. He stressed that local benefits are crucial for sustainability and longevity; communities that feel the positive impact are more likely to welcome tourism.

WHAT TO WATCH

• Communities need to feel valued; addressing resentment toward mass tourism is essential. Choices made by the industry will determine the future hospitality levels in these places.

• Prince Harry encouraged comparing investments in AI and tech against long-term investment in destination health. He criticized sustainability marketed merely as a marketing tool and emphasized the need for boards to address the imbalance between distribution spending and destination resilience.

Access all Skift Takeaways from this event, including session videos, presentation documents, and further editorial coverage at our Skift Global Forum attendees hub.