WORLDWIDE: Travalyst, the not-for-profit global coalition of some of the biggest brands in travel and technology, has acquired Weeva.
The announcement was made during Climate Week in New York with Travalyst also laying out its five year vision, including its initiative to centralise the collection and distribution of sustainability data to help travellers make informed decisions about their trips.
Weeva, the sustainability management tool for hotels, closed for business in July. Founded in 2021 the idea for Weeva was for hotels to have a “sustainability officer in their pocket”.
Travalyst will integrate the platform into its next phase of work and it also announced an expansion of its leadership team with two executive hires.
Julie Cheetham joins the Travalyst team as chief operations officer. Cheetham has more than 20 years experience as a sustainability leader and was part of the initial group of thought leaders to found Weeva. As CEO she grew the business into a multi-award-winning platform used in 86 countries.
Amina Razvi joins the team as chief partnerships and development officer. Razvi has been a trailblazer in the global apparel and textile industry, known for driving the adoption of the Higg Index and cultivating industry collaboration and change whilst CEO at Sustainable Apparel Coalition (now Cascale)
Founded in 2019 by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, since its launch in 2019 Travalyst has brought together a global coalition of leading brands including Amadeus, Booking.com, Expedia Group, Google, Mastercard, Sabre, Skyscanner, Travelport, Trip.com Group, Tripadvisor and Visa.
Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, said: “By 2030, we’re expecting 1.8 billion international arrivals each year; nearly double the numbers we saw just two decades ago. That kind of growth can only be sustainable if we prioritise not just profit, but people and places too. And this is where Travalyst’s work becomes so crucial.”
Sally Davey, CEO Travalyst, said: “Travalyst is working to align the industry behind the same sustainability data for accommodation providers, and then scale this information so that travellers see the full picture of where they are staying, beyond price and reviews. We aim to do this in a way that democratises access to information and ensures vital sustainability data is available to everyone.”
With a current focus on accommodation, long term Travalyst aims to consider other areas of travel and tourism such as rail, activities and destinations.
Travalyst recently shared its list of sustainability certifications which meet its new criteria. See more below.
Travalyst shares list of sustainability certifications which meet its criteria
Image: Travalyst