Carnival Corporation & plc and Its Cruise Brands Donate $3.2 Million Toward Tsunami Relief Efforts
MIAMI (January 28, 2005) – Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK) and its various operating units are donating more than $3.2 million to tsunami relief.
The funds – $2.4 million of which is being donated by Carnival Corporation & plc with another $800,000 already raised by the company's 12 cruise brands – will be forwarded to several different international organizations coordinating relief efforts in Asia and Africa.
“The entire Carnival Corporation & plc family, both aboard ship and ashore, is saddened and deeply concerned by this horrible tragedy and we are pleased to make this donation to aid in the region's long-term relief efforts, which will be substantial,” said Micky Arison, chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation & plc. “The tsunamis are the worst natural disasters of our lifetime and our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of this catastrophe,” he added.
Former President George H.W. Bush, who along with former President Clinton is co-chair of the United States Of America's Tsunami Relief Effort, said, “I am very pleased to join in saluting Carnival Corporation for their leadership and generosity that accompanies this very special announcement. By making this significant donation, they are offering a badly needed helping hand to the innocent victims of the horrific tsunami in Asia – helping to rebuild shattered lives. To be clear, the work in that part of the world is only just beginning – and my job is to help encourage more good corporate citizens to step forward in a similar fashion. Every donation, no matter how big or small, will make a difference.”
Arison noted that Carnival Corporation & plc's $2.4 million donation has been earmarked for the following worldwide relief organizations: the American Red Cross International Relief Fund ($1 million), the U.S. Fund for UNICEF ($1 million), and Save The Children Asia Earthquake/Tsunami Relief Fund ($400,000).
In addition to the corporate donation, all of Carnival Corporation & plc's 12 brands have conducted their own fundraising efforts, both in their respective offices and throughout the fleet. The brands have already collected more than $800,000 and fundraising efforts continue at the respective companies.
Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines is coordinating shipboard and shoreside fundraising events and accepting monies from guests during embarkation for the American Red Cross International Relief Fund, while Seabourn Cruise Line has made arrangements for guests to make donations to the organization via their shipboard accounts.
Through collection campaigns both aboard their respective ships and at their Seattle headquarters, Holland America Line and Windstar Cruises have made a sizable donation to the Indonesian Red Cross.
Princess Cruises and Cunard Line, both based in Santa Clarita, Calif., have organized fundraising efforts for their respective passengers, crew and shoreside personnel, with proceeds benefiting the International Red Cross. The effort also includes corporate matching funds.
British-based P&O Cruises, Swan Hellenic and Ocean Village have each held collection drives and will match funds raised by the staff of P&O Cruises' four ships.
In Italy, Costa Cruises is making a corporate donation to the Save The Children Asia Earthquake/Tsunami Relief Fund while its German subsidiary, AIDA Cruises, is making a corporate donation to Doctors Without Borders and held fundraising drives for passengers and crew benefiting the organization.
And P&O Cruises Australia, the brand headquartered closest to the affected areas, is also pitching in to help its neighbors with a donation to tsunami relief.
The web sites of Carnival and Princess also have links to relief organizations enabling visitors to make donations on-line.
Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest cruise vacation group in the world, with a portfolio of 12 cruise brands in North America, Europe and Australia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line, Windstar Cruises, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, Ocean Village, P&O Cruises, Swan Hellenic, and P&O Cruises Australia.
Together, these brands operate 77 ships totaling more than 132,000 lower berths with 13 new ships scheduled for delivery between April 2005 and April 2009. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates the leading tour companies in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon, Holland America Tours and Princess Tours. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices.
Additional information is available online at carnivalcorp.com and carnivalplc.com.
