Turkish authorities have barred an American gay cruise from calling at the ports of Kuşadası (Kusadasi) and Istanbul, forcing the ship to alter its Mediterranean itinerary and prompting renewed criticism of the country’s deteriorating record on LGBTQIA+ rights.
The 10-day ‘Athens to Venice‘ voyage, organised by United States-based Atlantis Events and departing from Athens on 5 July aboard Virgin Voyages‘ chartered Scarlet Lady, had been scheduled to spend two days in Turkey – or Türkiye – before continuing to Croatia and Italy. Instead, the ship will now visit Alexandria and Cairo, Egypt, and the island of Crete in Greece.
Authorities in Aydın Province, where Kuşadası is located, announced that the visit had been cancelled because the vessel had been chartered by groups whose behaviour was considered incompatible with Turkish society and its moral values.
Officials stated that there was no possibility of the group being allowed to visit the province for such an event. At the same time, authorities in Istanbul reportedly raided a bar after promotional material circulating online advertised a party linked to the cruise, although Atlantis Events said the brochure was neither produced nor authorised by the company.
According to Atlantis Events, around 1,900 passengers are travelling on the cruise, including approximately 1,100 from the United States, with others from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and several other countries. The company specialises in gay cruises and holidays and has been operating for 36 years.
Atlantis Events president and CEO Rich Campbell said the decision came as a shock, noting that it was the first time in the company’s history that it had been refused permission to dock because of the identity of its passengers.
He stressed that the cruise was not a political event, but simply a holiday whose guests were looking forward to sightseeing, shopping and supporting local businesses while respecting the cultures they visited. Campbell also warned that allowing governments to decide which tourists are welcome based on their identity was deeply concerning.
Passengers expressed similar disappointment. Journalist Randy Slovacek, who has previously visited Turkey on Atlantis cruises, said there had never been any issues during earlier visits. He regretted that local businesses would now lose the spending of nearly 2,000 visitors, while Egypt and Greece would instead benefit from the tourism revenue.
The company informed passengers that the itinerary had been changed because both Turkish port calls had been cancelled by the authorities despite extensive efforts to reverse the decision, including contacts with the US Embassy.
2024
In 2024, while I was cruising (on a ship, not the other kind of cruising) in the Mediterranean Sea, we visited Istanbul. On day two, we witnessed embarkment day in an Atlantis cruise. So in 2024 it was no issue.
Part of a broader crackdown
Although same-sex sexual activity has never been criminalised in Turkey and has been legal since the establishment of the republic in 1923, legal equality remains limited. The country offers no legal recognition for same-sex couples, LGBTQIA+ people are not protected by comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation, and hate crime protections based on sexual orientation or gender identity are absent.
Under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan‘s government, official rhetoric has become increasingly hostile. Senior politicians have frequently portrayed LGBTQIA+ people as a threat to traditional family values, while government campaigns have increasingly linked LGBTQIA+ visibility to what they describe as harmful foreign influences. Since 2015, Pride marches in Istanbul have been routinely banned, with police dispersing gatherings and detaining participants.
The pressure has intensified further in 2026. According to human rights organisations, Turkish authorities have stepped up prosecutions of LGBTQIA+ activists, while several court cases have raised concerns about restrictions on freedom of expression, assembly and association for LGBTQIA+ organisations. These developments have prompted warnings from European rights groups that civic space for LGBTQIA+ communities continues to shrink.
The trend is also reflected in the 2026 Rainbow Europe Index published by ILGA-Europe. Turkey remains among the lowest-ranked countries in Europe for LGBTQIA+ equality, reflecting persistent shortcomings in legal protections, recognition of families, freedom of assembly and protection from discrimination.
For international visitors, Turkey continues to welcome millions of tourists every year, including LGBTQIA+ travellers, particularly in destinations such as Istanbul and the Aegean Coast.
However, advocacy groups increasingly advise visitors to be aware of the country’s changing political climate, especially regarding public expressions of LGBTQIA+ identity and participation in community events.
The decision to block the Atlantis cruise is seen as another indication that the Turkish government’s stance towards LGBTQIA+ visibility has become significantly more restrictive in recent years.
2024 Athens – Mykonos – Istanbul – Kusadasi – Rhodes – Santorini – Athens Cruise on the Norwegian Getaway
- Flying Airbus A320neo with Aegean Airlines from Brussels to Athens return.
- REVIEW | Athenarum Portus Life & Style Hotel in Piraeus.
- GREECE | A modest exploration of Piraeus.
- NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE | Before you sail, online check-in and Embarkation Day.
- GREECE | Mykonos ft Archaeological Museum, the Windmills and massive crowds.
- NORWEGIAN GETAWAY | Balcony Stateroom with included access to the Thermal Spa.
- ISTANBUL | Beylerbeyi Palace – Blue Mosque – Grand Bazaar.
- NORWEGIAN GETAWAY | Activities – sports – entertainment – common areas.
- ISTANBUL | Galataport – Sirkeci Railway Station – Hagia Sophia – Topkapi Park.
- Bars & Lounges on Norwegian Getaway.
- Ephesus.
- Restaurants and food on Norwegian Getaway.
- RHODES | Lindos and its acropolis.
- Rhodes.
- NORWEGIAN GETAWAY | Skipping Santorini to make it a Sea Day.
- NORWEGIAN GETAWAY | Disembarkation Day.
- Turkey welcomed 62 million international tourists who together spent $61 billion in 2024.
- CRUISE REVIEW | 7 days on NCL’s Norwegian Getaway in the East Mediterranean Sea / Aegean Sea.
- ATHENS | Revival buildings, Changing of the Guards at Syntagma and the Acropolis.
- There’s more than one way to enjoy a cruise.
- NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE | Athens – Mykonos – Istanbul – Kusadasi – Rhodes – Santorini – Athens.
LGBTQIA+ and travel
- 66 countries criminalise consensual gay sex.
- European Pride events grow despite rising hate and funding pressures, and are a test of democracy, landmark report argues.
- GAY MONACO | Monaco Pride in 2026?.
- 2026 | ILGA-Europe warns of growing rollback of LGBTI rights in European Union candidate countries.
- WEST AFRICA | Niger criminalises gay sex.
- RAINBOW EUROPE MAP AND INDEX 2026 | Spain best of class and breaks Malta’s decade-long hold on Europe’s LGBTQIA+ rights top spot.
- RAINBOW EUROPE MAP AND INDEX 2025 | United Kingdom, Hungary and Georgia drop dramatically on LGBTQIA+ rights ranking.
- RAINBOW EUROPE MAP AND INDEX 2024 | These are the LGBTQIA+ friendly and LGBTQIA+ unfriendly countries in Europe.
- Belarus adopts sweeping anti-LGBTQIA+ information law, joining global crackdown on queer rights, criminalises “promotion” of homosexuality, gender transition, and childlessness.
- EU Court rules Hungary has to strike down its anti-gay propaganda law.
- ILGA-Europe: Criminalisation of LGBTI people returns to Europe’s doorstep.
- Alarming escalation in repression of LGBTI+ activists in Turkey: court rulings and prosecutions raise serious concerns.
- SPARTACUS GAY TRAVEL INDEX 2026 | Belgium among the world’s safest destinations.
- Senegal doubles prison sentences for gay sex amid rising homophobia.
- Malaysia, which outlaws gay sex, blocks access to Grindr and Blued.
- BELGIUM | Safer in theory, harsher in reality: violence and polarisation mark 2025 for LGBTQIA+ people.
- Europe reaches new low as LGBTQIA+ people face renewed criminalisation.
- SPARTACUS GAY TRAVEL INDEX 2024 | Malta, Canada, New Zealand, Spain, Portugal the most gay friendly destinations; Belgium now 21st.
- SPARTACUS GAY TRAVEL INDEX 2025 | USA and Eastern Europe under observation.
- 2025 | 65 countries where gay sex is illegal.
- ILGA-EUROPE | New era of coordinated attacks on foundations of Fundamental Rights, as EU bins Equal Treatment Directive.
- West of Ireland to host EuroPride 2028.
- GRINDR UNWRAPPED 2025 | Belgium and the Netherlands still love twinks, Taipei’s popularity rises.
- GRINDR UNWRAPPED 2024 | Belgium and the Netherlands still love twinks.
- The best cities to visit as a gay solo traveller.
- EUROPEAN UNION | Pride events do raise awareness for LGBTQIA+.
- Gay Hong Kong.
- Mr Gay Europe 2026 contest to cruise with VACAYA at summer’s end.
- How gay friendly are trending travel destinations Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina with Republika Srpska, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine?.
- ILGA WORLD | Despite more legal protections for LGBTI people, stark opposition has been a recurring theme in debates in every UN member State.
- Spartacus Travel Awards pinpoint Brussels and Taiwan as top LGBTQIA+ destinations.
- Pride movement in Europe expecting increased hostility.
- QUEER ANDORRA | Entre Nous, the only gay bar in the village.
- Europeans more accepting of LGBTQIA+ people than their political leaders.
- Queer Iceland & Rainbow(baiting) Reykjavík.
- Heading for the sun in gay destination Torremolinos.
- Manchester’s gaybourhood around Canal Street.
- 13 US states still officially punish gay sex.
- Sang Young Park, an insight on queer life in South Korea.
- Pride in Valladolid, Yucatán and queer encounters in Mexico.
- FLORIDA SOLO ROAD TRIP | Eye-opening encounters in Miami.
- FLORIDA SOLO ROAD TRIP | Key West.
- FLORIDA SOLO ROAD TRIP | Fort Lauderdale.
- FLORIDA SOLO ROAD TRIP | National Pulse Memorial and Museum in Orlando.
- Queer in a hostile world: more likely to be arrested for looking gay than for actual homosexual acts.
- Travel guide for people with HIV.
- LGBTQ+ get-together on Majestic Princess.
- HOW TO | Travel to the Eurovision Song Contest.
- Gays failing at being gay? ‘LGBTQ Mix & Mingle’ on Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas lacked enthusiasm.
- Gay Tel Aviv: pinkwashing or genuine?.
- To be or not to be out and proud LGBTQ when travelling?.
- A plea for LGBTQ travel in post-communist Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
- Gay Taipei with misterb&b.
- VIDEO | Looking for intimacy in a crowd of strangers in Japan and South Korea.
- Are you travelling to a hostile destination?.
