Video: Carnival Corp. CEO on Winning Over the Non-Cruisers

We kicked off the Skift Global Forum 2016 in New York City last month — our biggest gathering yet — with an interview with the CEO of one of travel’s largest companies by market cap: Carnival Corp. CEO Arnold Donald.

In his time at Carnival, Donald has steered the conversation away from the infamous “poop cruise” to one that is squarely aimed at winning over the vast swath of consumers who choose to vacation on land instead of by sea.

Under Donald’s tenure, Carnival has launched the Fathom brand, and sent the line to Cuba where it became the first cruise line into the country following a thaw in sixty years of restrictions. Carnival has also announced a joint venture in China and become a leading voice on the long-term approach to the region, despite some quarterly concern among analysts.

On stage, he addressed all of these topics, as well as what the cruise company sees as its true competitive set. Donald also spoke broadly about the American situation, from current social conflicts to focusing on shared values rather than political divisiveness.

It was a pleasantly frank conversation with one of the leading figures in global travel. You can watch the complete discussion, below.

Read more coverage of Skift Global Forum 2016

At this year’s Skift Global Forum in New York City, travel leaders from around the world gathered for two days of inspiration, information, and conversation for panels such as this as well as solo TED-like talks on the future of travel.

Visit our Skift Global Forum site for more details about 2017 events, including our London event in April of 2017.