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Micky Arison grew up in the cruise business and spent the better part of two decades learning it from the ground up before being appointed chairman in 1990. Arison, 56, began in the sales department at Carnival Cruise Lines, and worked his way up becoming reservations manager in 1974. He became vice president of passenger traffic in 1976, and just three years later Arison was named president of Carnival.
In 1987 Carnival went public, raising $400 million for future expansion, and by early 1989, Arison engineered the acquisition of the venerable Holland America Line. The purchase also included Windstar Cruises and Westours (now Holland America Tours), a leading Alaska tour operator, giving Carnival entrée to the premium segment of the cruise industry.
Over the next several years, Carnival Corporation acquired brands in various other markets including ultra-luxury Cunard Line and Seabourn Cruise Line, as well as contemporary European operator Costa Cruises, the region’s number one cruise line.
In April 2003, Arison spearheaded the transaction combining Carnival Corporation’s six cruise operators with the six brands of P&O Princess Cruises: Princess Cruises, P&O Cruises, Ocean Village, Swan Hellenic, AIDA Cruises, and P&O Cruises Australia, creating a truly global cruise operator with the leading cruise brands in both North America and Europe.
Following the transaction, the company was renamed Carnival Corporation & plc and is the only company in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices.
He currently serves as chairman of the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), a trade organization who provides a forum for discussion on legislation, tourism development, security and other cruise industry issues.
Arison’s contributions to the cruise industry have been recognized worldwide. Some of his honors include being named Officer of the French Legion of Honor the country’s highest civilian honor by French President Jacques Chirac as well as receiving the insignia of Onorificenza al Merito della Repubblica Italiana by the president of Italy, which confers that country's highest title on a civilian. | 