Turkish authorities have banned the cruise ship “Scarlet Lady”, which carries almost 2,000 passengers from the LGBT community, from docking in the planned ports of Kusadasi and Istanbul.
The company Atlantis Events, which organizes the ten-day trip “From Venice to Athens”, said that the Turkish local authorities canceled the arrival of the ship with the explanation that it was hired for a group “known for behaviors incompatible with the fabric of our society and our moral values”. Instead of Turkey, the ship will now sail to Cairo and the Greek island of Crete.
According to the organizers, about 1,900 guests are expected on the trip, of which approximately 1,100 are from the United States of America, while the rest are coming from the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and other countries. The ship “Scarlet Lady” is owned by Virgin Voyages, which is supported by Richard Branson.
Atlantis Events President and CEO Rich Campbell told CNN that the Turkish authorities’ decision is unprecedented for the company.
It’s quite shocking, honestly. The explanation is simply that it is a gay group – said Campbell.
He added that he is concerned when the state chooses which tourists it will allow to enter and which it will not. According to him, this is the first time in the 36 years of the company’s existence that they have been explicitly told that they cannot dock at a port “because of who we are”.
This is not a political organization. We’re not there for anything other than to spend money, have a good time, see the sights and treat every culture we visit with great respect – added Campbell.
The authorities of the province of Aydın, where the port of Kusadası is located, said that “there is absolutely no possibility that the group in question will visit our province for an event of this nature
