More than 1,000 U.S. travelers on Atlantis Events’ July 5 Mediterranean cruise were blocked from planned stops in Kuşadası and Istanbul after Turkish authorities canceled the ship’s port calls.
Turkish officials said the chartered group’s behavior was incompatible with the country’s “moral values” and “family values,” with Aydin province declaring there was no possibility of such a visit.
Atlantis said the Scarlet Lady will call at Cairo and Crete instead, and CEO Rich Campbell called it the first time in the company’s 36 years it had been denied berthing because “of who we are.”
The 10-day voyage is expected to carry about 1,900 guests, including roughly 1,100 Americans, while Istanbul officials also raided a bar after an unaffiliated brochure advertised an Atlantis party there.
Turkey’s move fits a broader hardening under President Tayyip Erdogan’s AK Party, which has intensified anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and kept Pride marches in Istanbul banned since 2015.
As Turkey courts cruise lines, why did it just turn away a ship carrying over 1,000 international tourists?
This cruise ban is a first in 36 years. What does it reveal about the growing risks for travelers in Turkey?
Turkey Bars 1,900-Passenger LGBTQ+ Cruise: The Scarlet Lady Incident and Its Impact on Tourism, Rights, and Regional Precedent
Overview
On July 2, 2026, Turkish authorities barred the Scarlet Lady cruise, chartered by Atlantis Events for an LGBTQ+ audience, from docking at Turkish ports. This action followed years of increasingly harsh rhetoric and policies against the LGBTQ+ community by President Erdogan’s AK Party, including the systematic banning of Pride marches since 2015. Authorities cited public safety and security concerns, continuing a pattern of restricting LGBTQ+ gatherings. The cruise, carrying about 1,900 passengers mainly from the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, was forced to reroute, highlighting Turkey’s growing exclusion of LGBTQ+ tourism and its impact on international travel and local communities.