Turkish authorities said, “It is absolutely out of the question for the said group to come to our province with an organization of the specified nature.”
Turkey has barred an American LGBTQ cruise from docking at one of its ports, citing “moral standards” and “family values.”
The Mediterranean “Athens to Venice” cruise is scheduled to depart on July 5 and was expected to stop in Turkey as part of its destinations. However, Turkish authorities canceled the planned stop after determining the cruise ship was chartered by groups “known for behaviors incompatible with the fabric of our society and our moral values.”
The cruise ship “Scarlet Lady” is owned by the cruise line Virgin Voyages, and the voyage is organized by Atlantis Events. Following Turkey’s decision, the cruise itinerary has been revised to replace its stop in Turkey with visits to Cairo, Egypt, and the island of Crete.
“It’s pretty stunning, to be honest. I mean, and the reasoning behind it is that it’s a gay group,” Rich Campbell, the president and CEO of Atlantis Events, told CNN. “It’s very concerning to me when a country decides they can pick and choose which tourists are allowed in and which are not,”
Turkey has been increasingly restrictive toward LGBTQ events over the past decade under President Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party. Pride marches have been banned in Istanbul since 2015.
On its website, Atlantis Events described the 10-day cruise as an “epic adventure” that allows “great friends” to visit the Mediterranean. Turkish authorities in the Aydin province, where the ship was supposed to port, said in a post on X, that “It is absolutely out of the question for the said group to come to our province with an organization of the specified nature.”
“The organization, planned by groups known for behaviors that do not align with the structure of our society and our moral values and which has come to the agenda in the press and broadcast organs and social media platforms, to dock a cruise ship rented by these groups at Aydın Kuşadası Port on July 7, 2026, and which has caused great discomfort in various segments of our society, has been canceled,” the post said. “The canceled voyage in question consists of an individual organization and has no connection whatsoever with other voyages organized to our province's port.”
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