Turkiye blocks American LGBTQ+ cruise from docking, citing ‘moral standards’

The cruise ship Scarlet Lady arrives at the French port of Marseille in May 2024. (Gerard Bottino/SOPA Images/Sipa USA/AP/File via CNN Newsource)

Turkish authorities have banned a cruise ship catering to American LGBTQ+ travelers from docking in the country’s ports, citing “moral standards” and “family values,” the CEO of the events company behind the upcoming Mediterranean tour said Thursday.

The “Athens to Venice” cruise, which departs from Greece on July 5, was expected to dock in the vibrant Turkish port town of Kuşadası two days later, followed by a trip to Istanbul, according to Atlantis Events, which is organizing the voyage.

But in a controversial move, local authorities in Turkiye said they have canceled the “event” as the ship – which is expected to host more than 1,000 passengers from the US – was chartered by groups “known for behaviours incompatible with the fabric of our society and our moral values.”

The vessel, named Scarlet Lady, is owned by the Richard Branson-backed cruise line Virgin Voyages, according to MarineTraffic. Atlantis Events said it will now stop in Cairo, Egypt and the Greek island of Crete instead of Turkiye.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party has adopted increasingly harsh rhetoric against the LGBTQ+ community over the past decade, sparking condemnation from rights groups. Authorities have banned Pride marches in Istanbul since 2015, citing public safety and security concerns.

“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 of Turkiye’s decision to block the cruise visits.

“It’s very concerning to me when a country decides they can pick and choose which tourists are allowed in and which are not,” he added.

Campbell said it was the first time in 36 years that the company has been “actively told we may not berth here because of who we are.”

Passenger Randy Slovacek, a journalist who often writes about LGBTQ+ issues, told CNN in an interview from Athens on Sunday that he had visited Turkiye before on an Atlantis cruise.

“There’s never been a problem, none at all, but suddenly they have a problem,” Slovacek said. “We are just a group of people who are just touring the world and trying to see everything we can.”

Slovacek added that he feels badly for the local vendors who are now missing out on the cruise ship passengers’ business because of the government’s decision.

“However, Cairo and Crete will be enjoying our our tourism dollars,” he said.

CNN has reached out to Turkiye’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Turkish embassy in Washington and Virgin Voyages for comment.

Approximately 1,100 of the 1,900 expected guests on the voyage are from the United States, according to Campbell. The remaining travelers are from the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, among other nations.

Atlantis’ website describes the 10-day trip as an “epic adventure” allowing “great friends” to island hop around the Mediterranean, including sun-soaked destinations such as the Greek Isles and Croatia.

Authorities in Turkiye’s Aydin province, where the port of Kuşadası is located, said there is “absolutely no possibility of the group in question visiting our province for an event of this nature.”

Meanwhile, officials in Istanbul said police had raided a bar in the city after an “Atlantis brochure” featured a party at the establishment. Campbell said the brochure was neither from nor affiliated with Atlantis.

“This is not a political organization. We are not there for anything except to spend money, have a good time, take tours and be incredibly respectful to every culture we visit,” Campbell added.

Atlantis broke the news to passengers on Thursday, saying that “due to circumstances beyond our control, we have had to change the ports in our itinerary to remove both port calls to Turkiye,” as those stops had been canceled by the Turkish authorities.