Carnival Corporation Earns Perfect Score in Human Rights Campaign Foundation's Corporate Equality Index

World's largest leisure travel company recognized by educational arm of largest LGBTQ civil rights organization in U.S. for commitment to inclusive and diverse workforce

Third consecutive year that Carnival Corporation has received perfect score of 100 and designation of a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality

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Carnival Corporation & plc

Mar 28, 2019, 09:15 ET

MIAMI, March 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE: CUK), the world's largest leisure travel company, today announced it has been recognized by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation with a perfect score for the third consecutive year in its 2019 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), which rates U.S. companies on their treatment of LGBTQ consumers, investors and employees.

Carnival Corporation has been recognized by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation with a perfect score for the third consecutive year in its 2019 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), which rates U.S. companies on their treatment of LGBTQ consumers, investors and employees. The index also recognizes Carnival Corporation with the designation of a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality.

The index also recognizes Carnival Corporation with the designation of a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality by HRC Foundation, the educational arm of America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender and queer people. Additionally, it is the sixth time the company has been recognized in the CEI report, which is the nation's premier benchmarking survey and report on corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ workplace equality.

"Being recognized by the largest LGBTQ civil rights organization in the U.S. with a perfect score on the CEI for a third year in a row is a great honor that reflects our ongoing commitment to equality, inclusion and diversity," said Roger Frizzell, chief communications officer for Carnival Corporation, whose nine industry-leading cruise brands are among the world's most popular and admired cruise lines, including Carnival Cruise Line, Cunard, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and Seabourn. "We are dedicated to promoting a positive work environment for our more than 120,000 employees from over 150 countries that work with great passion to provide extraordinary vacation experiences for our guests. For us, diversity of thinking is a business imperative that provides a competitive advantage. We know that having people from different backgrounds and cultural experiences organized around a common objective is far more likely to create breakthrough innovation than a homogenous group."

The announcement follows Carnival Corporation being recently recognized as one of America's Best Employers for Diversity in 2019 by Forbes Media, as well as being named to the first-ever NAACP Equity, Inclusion and Empowerment Index, which assesses U.S. companies on their commitment to racial and ethnic equity in every aspect of their business and operations. Additionally, Carnival Corporation's namesake cruise line brand, Carnival Cruise Line, was recognized in 2018 with both a Travvy Award and Women's Choice Award as the best cruise line for LGBTQ travelers.

"The top-scoring companies on this year's CEI are not only establishing policies that affirm and include employees here in the United States, they are applying these policies to their global operations and impacting millions of people beyond our shores," said HRC President Chad Griffin. "Many of these companies have also become vocal advocates for equality in the public square, including the dozens that have signed on to amicus briefs in vital Supreme Court cases and the more than 170 that have joined HRC's Business Coalition for the Equality Act. Time and again, leading American businesses have shown that protecting their employees and customers from discrimination isn't just the right thing to do – it's also good for business."

This HRC honor aligns with Carnival Corporation's 2020 sustainability goals, including a commitment to building a diverse and inclusive workforce and providing all employees with a positive work environment and opportunities to build a rewarding career to further drive employee engagement.

The company has also shown support through:

Partnering with OUTBermuda and other LGBTQ community organizations to support the legal recognition of same-sex marriages in Bermuda;
Offering welcoming environments with LGBTQ cruises, onboard activities and special events, including the company's Holland America Line brand sponsoring the 2019 Seattle Men's and Women's Chorus Annual Dinner and Auction;
Participating in Florida Competes (formerly Florida Businesses for a Competitive Workforce), a top coalition to end LGBTQ discrimination in the state's businesses;
Participation and sponsorship of annual Pride events to raise awareness and funds for LGBTQ organizations, including the Seattle Pride Parade and Southampton (England) Pride; and
Partnering with equal opportunity champions such as the Human Rights Campaign, Executive Leadership Council, Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility, Catalyst, Leadership Education for Asian Pacifics and CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion.

In its 17^th year, the CEI evaluates LGBTQ-related policies and practices including non-discrimination workplace protections, domestic partner benefits, transgender-inclusive health care benefits, competency programs, and public engagement with the LGBTQ community.

About Carnival Corporation & plc
Carnival Corporation & plc is the world's largest leisure travel company and among the most profitable and financially strong in the cruise and vacation industries, with a portfolio of nine of the world's leading cruise lines. With operations in North America, Australia, Europe and Asia, its portfolio features Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises (Australia), Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard.

Together, the corporation's cruise lines operate 105 ships with 245,000 lower berths visiting over 700 ports around the world, with 19 new ships scheduled to be delivered through 2025. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour company in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. 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.

With a long history of innovation and providing guests with extraordinary vacation experiences, Carnival Corporation has received thousands of industry awards – including recognition by the Consumer Technology Association™ as a CES® 2019 Innovation Awards Honoree for OceanMedallion™. A revolutionary wearable device that contains a proprietary blend of communication technologies, OceanMedallion enables the world's first interactive guest experience platform transforming vacation travel on a large scale into a highly personalized level of customized service. The prestigious CES Innovation Awards honor outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology products.

Additional information can be found on www.carnival.com, www.princess.com, www.hollandamerica.com, www.seabourn.com, www.pocruises.com.au, www.costacruise.com, www.aida.de, www.pocruises.com, and www.cunard.com.

About HRC Foundation
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.

SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc