Turkish authorities have banned cruise ships carrying American LGBTQ+ travelers from entering the country’s ports, citing “moral standards” and “family values,” the CEO of an events company organizing an upcoming Mediterranean tour said Thursday.
The Athens to Venice cruise, which departed from Greece on July 5, was scheduled to dock in the bustling Turkish port city of Kusadasi two days later before heading to Istanbul, according to Atlantis Events, which organizes the voyage.
But in a controversial move, Turkish local authorities announced that the “event” had been canceled because the ship, which was scheduled to take more than 1,000 passengers from the United States, had been chartered by a group “known for behavior that is incompatible with our social fabric and moral values.”
According to Marine Traffic, the ship is named Scarlet Lady and is owned by Virgin Voyages, a cruise company backed by Richard Branson. Atlantis Events has announced that it will now stop in Cairo, Egypt and the Greek island of Crete instead of Turkey.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party has adopted increasingly harsh rhetoric against the LGBTQ+ community over the past decade, drawing condemnation from rights groups. Authorities have banned Pride marches in Istanbul since 2015, citing public safety and security concerns.
Rich Campbell, president and CEO of Atlantis Events, told CNN of Turkey’s decision to block the cruise visit: “Honestly, this is pretty surprising. I mean, the reason behind it is a gay organization.”
“For a country to decide that it can choose which tourists to allow and which not to allow is very worrying to me,” he added.
Mr Campbell said it was the first time in 36 years that the company had been “actively told that we might not be able to berth here because of our personality”.
CNN has contacted Türkiye’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Turkish Embassy in Washington and Virgin Voyages for comment.
Campbell said about 1,100 of the 1,900 guests scheduled for the voyage will be from the United States. The remaining travelers are from countries such as the UK, Canada and Australia.
The Atlantis website describes the 10-day trip as an “epic adventure” that will see “great friends” island hopping around the Mediterranean, including sun-soaked destinations such as the Greek Islands and Croatia.
Authorities in Turkey’s Aydın province, where Kusadasi port is located, said: “There is no possibility that the group in question will visit our country for an event of this nature.”
Meanwhile, Istanbul officials said police raided a bar in the city after a party was featured in the Atlantis brochure. Campbell said the pamphlet is not from or affiliated with Atlantis.
“This is not a political organization. We’re not there for any purpose other than to spend money, have a good time, take tours, and be incredibly respectful of all the cultures we visit,” Campbell added.
Atlantis announced the news to passengers on Thursday, saying that “due to circumstances beyond our control, we had to change the ports on our itinerary to remove both stops in Turkey” as the ports were canceled by Turkish authorities.
