We're accustomed to hearing travel CEOs putting a brave face on adversity, whether it's an airline chief addressing a spike in fuel prices or a cruise executive downplaying a soft quarter. Very often these reassuring phrases are drafted by handlers and include a whiff of PR.
But there was something stark, simple and convincing in the short, clear sentences uttered by Carnival Corp. Chairman Micky Arison in a Travel Weekly interview last week about the damage that's been done to the Costa brand: "We will get over this. It may take a year or two, and if it does we'll stick with it."
In PR-speak, that would be rendered: "We have every confidence in the long-term future of the brand, and we're committed to yada yada yada yada."
We prefer Arison's version.