Türkiye blocks American LGBTQ2S+ cruise from docking, citing ‘moral standards’

The cruise ship Scarlet Lady, pictured above on a previous voyage, 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 LGBTQ2S+ travellers 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 Türkiye said they have canceled the “event” as the ship – which is expected to host more than 1,000 passengers from the U.S. – was chartered by groups “known for behaviors 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 Türkiye.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party has adopted increasingly harsh rhetoric against the LGBTQ2S+ 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 Türkiye’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.”

CNN has reached out to Türkiye’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 travellers 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 Türkiye’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 toTürkiye,” as those stops had been canceled by the Turkish authorities.

Billy Stockwell, CNN