Why Turkey refused entry to an LGBTQ+ cruise carrying nearly 2,000 passengers

In recent times, Turkish authorities have repeatedly banned Pride marches in Istanbul and other cities, because of "public order and security concerns".

The vessel Scarlet Lady is operated by Virgin Voyages, the cruise line backed by British entrepreneur Richard Branson.(Source: FB)

By: Express Global Desk

3 min readJul 3, 2026 02:44 PM IST First published on: Jul 3, 2026 at 01:29 PM IST

Turkey on Thursday barred a cruise ship carrying American passengers from the LGBTQ+ community. Turkey forbade the ship from docking at two of its ports, citing “moral values”. Organisers of the cruise had to reroute the Mediterranean voyage to Greece because of this. The 10-day “Athens to Venice” cruise, organised by Atlantis Events, is now scheduled to depart from Greece on July 5. It was originally scheduled to make port calls at the Turkish resort town of Kuşadası and then Istanbul.

However, organisers said Turkish authorities informed them that the ship would not be permitted to dock at either port. The itinerary has now been revised to include Cairo, Egypt, and the Greek island of Crete instead.

Officials in Turkey’s Aydın province, where Kuşadası is located, said the visit had been cancelled because the cruise had been chartered by groups “known for behaviour incompatible with the fabric of our society and our moral values”.

According to CNN, authorities also said there was “absolutely no possibility” of the group visiting the province for an event of that nature, referring to the country’s moral standards and family values. The vessel, Scarlet Lady, is operated by Virgin Voyages, the cruise line backed by British entrepreneur Richard Branson.

Organisers say move ‘unprecedented’

President and CEO of Atlantis Events Rich Campbell said that Turkey’s decision was unprecedented in the company’s 36-year history.

“It’s pretty stunning, to be honest. The reasoning behind it is that it’s a gay group,” Campbell told CNN.

He said it was the first time the company had been explicitly told it could not berth at a destination because of the identity of its passengers.

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

According to Campbell, the cruise is expected to carry around 1900 passengers, including roughly 1100 from the United States, with the remainder travelling from countries such as the UK, Canada and Australia.

Itinerary changed

Atlantis Events informed passengers that the changes were made “due to circumstances beyond our control” after Turkish authorities cancelled both scheduled port calls.

The company said the revised itinerary would replace the Turkish stops with visits to Cairo and Crete, ensuring the voyage continues without disruption.

“This is not a political organisation. We are there to spend money, enjoy the destinations, take tours, and be respectful of every culture we visit,” Campbell was quoted as saying by CNN.

Bar raided

The organisers also said police in Istanbul reportedly raided a local bar after an “Atlantis brochure” advertised a party there. Atlantis Events said the promotional material was neither produced by nor affiliated with Atlantis Events.

CNN reported that it had sought comments from Turkiye’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Turkish Embassy in the US and Virgin Voyages, but was yet to receive a response.

Turkey’s stand against LGBTQI community

Turkey maintains a restrictive stance towards the LGBTQ+ community under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s government.

In recent years, authorities have repeatedly banned Pride marches in Istanbul and other cities because of public order and security concerns, according to them. Rights groups have accused the government of intensifying anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and curbing freedoms for sexual minorities.