Foreword

Ladies and gentlemen,
dear AIDA friends,

Our growth continued in 2011. We created 600 new jobs, launched AIDAsol, our fleet’s eighth ship, and welcomed many new guests on board. We are aware that with this success comes a great obligation because as we grow, so too does our responsibility: responsibility for our guests, for our employees – and also for society, the environment and the climate. And we accept this responsibility, be it out on the high seas or back on dry land.

Thanks to innovative ideas, cutting-edge technology and our highly trained crew, in 2011 we have once again been a pioneer in the cruise industry in terms of climate and environmental protection. Since 2007, we have reduced fuel consumption by 20% per guest and per day, and we have one of the lowest fresh water consumption rates per guest in our industry. It goes without saying that, in line with our “Zero Discharge Policy”, we did not discharge any waste or untreated waste water into the ocean last year either. In fact, we significantly reduced our waste generation, and achieved a 100% separation rate prior to discharge via certified disposal companies.

To us, responsible growth also means encouraging our employees to take responsibility themselves. We made great progress here in 2011, further enhancing our training and professional development programs and establishing the AIDA Academy. Training on “Health and Hygiene, Environment, Safety and Security” (HESS) is given central importance – this applies prior to, during and in between periods employees spend working on board.

Sustainable business is also a question of transparency and the ability to respond positively to criticism. That’s why we further enhanced communication with our guests in 2011, and intensified open dialog with community stakeholder groups. We are also sending out a strong signal with the new format of our sustainability report. Thanks to its integration into our website, AIDA cares is available everywhere and at all times, an being based on the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) reporting standard, it still offers the same depth of content.

We also want to plan our future growth responsibly. That’s why we set goals for ourselves which are communicated in this report to ensure transparency, and why we take part in research projects such as “e4ships”. What’s more, we are already preparing our fleet for the use of shoreside power and liquid gas, pioneering environmentally-friendly technologies.

I invite you to inform yourself fully about our sustainability activities. We always welcome your opinions on our report, as well as your input and suggestions. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely

Michael Ungerer