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This Just In…
Royal Caribbean cruise line in PR storm over taking tourists to private beach on earthquake-ravaged Haiti
January 22, 2010
Royal Caribbean cruise line is under attack for making a scheduled stop at a resort in Labadee, Haiti, where it maintains a private beach about 60 miles from earthquake-ravaged Port-au-Prince. As AdAge.com reports, despite Royal Caribbean’s pledges to the Haiti relief effort — including donations of $1 million and 100 percent of its net revenue from cruise-ship visits to Haiti, and using its vessels to drop off food, water, lounge chairs and beach furniture on the island — the company is still facing criticism for bringing vacationers to Labadee, and for the handling of its messages.
“Labadee is critical to Haiti’s recovery, and hundreds of people rely on Labadee for their livelihood,” John Weis, a vice president at Royal Caribbean, wrote on the company’s blog. Royal Caribbean said it will continue to make the stop and that its ship, the Celebrity Solstice, will arrive there today, according to AdAge.com.
Still, some PR professionals say that Royal Caribbean could suffer lasting damage from visuals in the media of mostly White vacationers frolicking in the sun only 60 miles away from where thousands of earthquake survivors are fighting over food and water, searching for loved ones, and burying their dead. The PR professionals say that Royal Caribbean should never have tried to mix its commerce and humanitarian efforts, and that the company should have done a better job at getting out in front of its story, AdAge.com reports. A high-ranking PR executive reportedly called the episode “a massive debacle” that “shows absolutely horrible judgment.” — Greg Beaubien
Comments
Brian O'Connor says:
I work for a competitor to Royal Caribbean and I APPLAUD the creative ways in which they have contributed to the Haiti Relief effort while at the same time delivering on their contractual obligation to the group charter cruise which recently visited Labadee and generated much needed tax revenue for the country. To say this decision was “a massive debacle” that “shows absolutely horrible judgment” is, in my opinion, a statement that could only be made by someone who is uninformed and out of touch.
Besides the tourist tax dollars - Royal Caribbean has delivered much needed relief supplies [120 pallets to date] and made a generous $1 million donation to the relief effort. All of this is a great contribution and it should not judged or evaluated by “high-ranking PR executives” who are too short-sighted to see that the going concern for RCI as a corporation had to be considered in the balance of finding creative ways to support the relief effort.
Whereas the entire world wants to help the people of Haiti in some way – it’s unrealistic (and out of touch) to think the lives of every person on earth and their vacation travel plans should be interrupted without implication to avoid the risk of “mixing commerce with humanitarian effort.”
Those who can contribute will do so in their individual way. RCI did what they thought best and as a cruise industry PR executive I agree with them. Well done RCI.
Respectfully,
Brian O’Connor
CUNARD LINE
Director, Marketing & Public Relations
PRSA-LA Area Chapter
President-Elect
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