Outdoor Environment: Carnival - Tourism Industry Leisure/Travel Market. According to the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association, cruise lines see annual growth year over year. In 2012 "the occupancy rate exceeded 102% [...] shows continued consumer interest in cruises and an industry where demand continues to outstrip supply" (Mena, 2013). Political: • There are efforts for greater regulation by members of the US Government. Competition from other markets: • This includes hotels, theme parks, casinos, attractions – essentially any land-based leisure travel that may be closer or more convenient than a cruise. There are several economic factors: • Increased costs of building new ships • Increased costs of flights - In order to go on a nice cruise vacation, consumers must live near a destination port or purchase a plane ticket to reach the port . • Carnival targets price-conscious consumers, so rising fuel costs could also be an issue as this affects airfares and cruise tickets. • Overseas relations with foreign countries and trade. Industry: Cruise/Travel 16 ships will be launched in 2014, representing an investment of $3.9 billion across the industry. Compared to 2013 which had 21.3 million cruise passengers, it is expected that in 2014 there will be 21.7 million despite the negative publicity suffered by the sector (Gerlak, 2014). Client: Carnival Cruise Lines Carnival was founded in 1978 with a small converted ocean liner called "Mardi Gras". Since then Carnival has grown the image beyond that of party ships to disasters and is known as the fun ship providing entertainment, luxury to the Caribbean's most popular vacation ports at an affordable price for customers. The Carnival website is very interactive with photos shown......in the center of the sheet......-CO-20130912-706954.htmlSoshkin, M. (2014, May 1). IBIS World Industry Report 48311- Ocean and coastal shipping in the United States. Login for off-campus access. Retrieved June 11, 2014, from http://clients1.ibisworld.com.proxy.library.georgetown.edu/reports/us/industry/majorcompanies.aspx?entid=1138#MP10472Tuttle, B. (2013, May 28). Travelers Continue to Avoid Carnival After 'Poop Cruise' | TIME.com. Business travelers continue to avoid Carnival after poop cruise comments. Retrieved June 5, 2014, from http://business.time.com/2013/05/28/travelers-still-avoiding-carnival-after-poop-cruise/Zmuda, N., & Parekh, R. (2013, 28 September). Carnival launches new campaign to attract customers again | CMO Strategy: The Age of Advertising. RSS Advertising Age CMO Strategy. Retrieved June 9, 2014, from http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/carnival-launches-campaign-lure-back-customers/244242/