CEO Spotlight :Julie Cheetham of Travalyst

Julie Cheetham is six months into the role of CEO of Travalyst, the not-for-profit coalition of travel and technology companies founded by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.

While global conflict and economic pressure might seemingly have put travel sustainability on the backburner, Cheetham believes the discussion is evolving and commitment at a senior level is increasing.

She pointed to Deloitte research showing C-suite commitment to sustainability is on the up adding that "conversations are shifting to revenue generation, risk management and efficiency."

In an interview in the PhocusWire studio at Phocuswright Europe 2026, Cheetham also said that hotel companies, for example, are now experiencing the effects of climate change and the impact on the bottom line.

She went on to discuss how data can inform the travel sustainability discussion and help travelers if it can be unblocked. 

"Where we are able to share credible data, travelers are responding. Two examples that spring to mind--one is the Travel Impact Model which shares aviation footprint data that was developed by the Travalyst coalition with Google," she said. "That information has been put in front of more than 160 billion travel searches and travelers at this point. We're seeing that travelers are more inclined to choose the sustainable option if the routing and the price are similar."

A further example Cheetham cited was the increasing number of travelers booking rooms where there is a third party sustainability certification program. 

She also touched on the role artificial intelligence (AI) is playing in helping disperse tourists to lesser know destinations, its role in multi-modal trip planning and the convergence of certification initiatives.

See below for the full interview with PhocusWire's Linda Fox.