Carnival Corporation as been named one of the best employers for diversity in the US by business news outlet Forbes Media.
The company was named the top employer for diversity in the cruise industry, fifth in the travel and leisure industry, and 114th overall among the 500 top employers with more than 1,000 staff.
The rankings come in a listing of the best 500 large and mid-sized US employers for diversity in 24 industries.
The new figures show an improvement over last year when the cruise giant was named 374th overall on Forbes’ list of top 500 best large US employers, and 12th in the travel and leisure sector.
The latest results are based on a survey of more than 50,000 US employees working for companies employing at least 1,000 people in their operations in the country.
Respondents were asked open-ended questions on a series of statements surrounding the topics of age, gender equality, ethnicity, disability, LGBTQ+ and general diversity concerning their own employer.
The company score was determined by direct employee feedback and a public perception rating.
Carnival Corporation, which runs nine cruise brands, has seen diversity and inclusion as a priority, particularly under the leadership of Arnold Donald, CEO since 2013.
Donald has appointed numerous people from a wide variety of backgrounds into leadership roles as presidents of the company’s cruise line brands and in key roles within global port and destination development, human resources, marketing, sales, operations and procurement.
A company spokesman said: “As the world’s largest cruise company with nine global cruise line brands, we have a deep commitment to our over 120,000 talented and dedicated employees representing nearly 150 countries, so we fully embrace the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
“Our success comes from their commitment and passion for doing everything possible to consistently exceed the expectations of our over 12 million annual guests.”