To boycott Turkey and Egypt after homophobic action against cruise ship?

[Holdonforsummer]

Now Egypt has turned away a cruise ship full of LGBT passengers, following in the footsteps of Turkey who had already barred them from docking. Egyptian authorities haven’t stated an official reason but Turkey clearly stated it was because the passengers on the ship didn’t confirm to their society’s ‘moral’ standards. I find this disgusting and outrageous that any country thinks they can start to pick and choose which categories of tourists they will and won’t accept. I for one will now boycott Turkey and Egypt and will not book holidays there in the future. I refuse to support homophobic regimes and feel that the only thing that might change their mind is if many other UK citizens do the same.

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/09/lgbtq-cruise-ship-refused-entry-egypt-turkey?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

When in Rome......
They're Muslim majority counties and have every right to impose their moral values on visitors. If you don't like it don't go.
Just as it should be with burkas, halal, sharia etc in the UK.

Well yeah, terrorist organisations is an example. Or those who are too poor to pay for a Visa, or where the person’s presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good.

The UK's reasons are, happily, much less discriminatory than other countries'. But my point is that all countries do indeed choose which tourists it will and will not accept.

YANBU to not go to countries that do not support your beliefs. You have that choice, you don’t have to do anywhere you don’t want to go, I’m a bit surprised you even have to ask that.
Every country has different rules for entry though not just Turkey and Egypt

You had to shoehorn that in 🙄

OP, boycott whoever you want. Few care.

A huge percentage of the world don't accept LGBT, stop thinking the world should bow down to how the UK live, they have their rules for their country.

I don’t agree with it—but I am not surprised they were turned away, given the homophobia these countries are known for.
I am surprised that the cruise planned to go there in the first place.
I’m female, and I’m not planning on going on holiday to Afghanistan or Saudi Arabia any time soon.

Funny how it isnt the same though. They do not accommodate our ways of likfe in their countries, they expect us to respect their culture and behave differently to how we do at home. Yet we have slowly changed so much to accommodate them here. And where has it gotten us? I wish we had the balls to act the way they do.

Well, for example, I wouldn’t travel to certain countries if I wanted to spend a week on a beach in a bikini, but their country rules were no bikini’s allowed. Surely, this stuff is common sense. You make sure your destination is suitable for your personal circumstances and wants.

I would just like to know what the cruise ship company and the people who booked it were thinking tbh! It's not like the views on homosexuality in these countries isn't well know. They could've been put in a very dangerous situation so maybe it was right that they were turned away.

Yup me too 😂

To be honest it sounds as though the charter organisers were either very naive and uninformed about the itinerary, or (more likely) they were approaching the trip from a campaigning perspective, believing if they arrived en masse the country would not refuse them entry.

Either way, those countries are clear about their position on homosexuality. Nobody should have been surprised.

Interesting the OP thinks this is a reason to boycott Egypt and not their incredibly high rate of FGM.

It’s because of a belief in a people’s right to self-determination.

I don’t understand why this has come as a surprise to you.

Will you also be boycotting the dozens of other countries where it’s not safe to be LGB? And how far will your boycott go? Will you be boycotting products from those countries? Or banks that invest your savings and pensions in those countries?

You can’t really complain that a country who hates gay people has stopped them entering. They are intitled to their beliefs

They do but they also need to sort their human rights issues and that’s not going to happen in our lifetime.

Their country, their laws, their culture, their beliefs, their religion.

Those who wish to visit, or live in, conservative Muslim countries should agree to respect them and to behave accordingly. If homosexuality is deemed by them to be incompatible with their laws, society & culture, so be it.

Exactly the same should also apply in reverse, of course. Conservative Muslims, or any other groups who object to homosexuality on religious or moral grounds should respect the laws & cultures of secular liberal European countries. If their beliefs are incompatible with those laws & cultures, they should go elsewhere.

Neither of the above statements should be controversial.

It is their country their rules. But it doesn’t mean we should just shrug our shoulders and not judge. Am not gay myself.
There are some countries I simply would never contemplate going to.
We should look at countries and how they behave. Mad not to.
I think too many people get shocked if they fall foul on holiday of some rule or another and forget they are abroad in a non European country. It isn’t going to be the same….

Do you think you can shame them into some Inclusivity Pretence?

Where do you get that from?
Most of the UK don’t give a fuck about Gaza and even less so since their attack on Israel and subsequent squealing of ‘genocide’ when it’s no such thing.

Why the hell would a cruise line organize an LGBTQ+ cruise to Turkey and Egypt??? Isn't it obvious that those countries don't agree with the LGBTQ+ lifestyle or movement?

What next? Organize a cruise to Burkina Faso a country that recently criminalized same sex relation or a Christian Pentecostal crusie to Saudi Arabia???
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2060er4062o

Re boycotting the, I don't think they care but you're free to boycott if you need to. I don't have any interest in visiting Egypt and that's not because of this action so nothing changes for me.

Exactly, it's Virgin Voyages which surprises me for such a ridiculous decision. It's an established company which should know better.

If I boycotted every country which had different values & mores to me, I'd never go anywhere.
That includes my UK home.

Lady, you are based 👌🏻

I avoid Turkey because they have even more sleazy men than the UK.