More than 165,000 people paraglided over from Mt. Babadağ

MUĞLA-Anadolu Agency

More than 165,000 people paraglided over the famous Mt. Babadağ of the Fethiye district in Turkey's southwestern Muğla province in 2019.

Mt. Babadağ in the resort town of Ölüdeniz, also known as Blue Lagoon, welcomes thousands of local and foreign tourists who want to paraglide every year.

The mountain, one of the best paragliding centers in the world, makes an important contribution to the economy of the region by increasing its flight figures.

Mt. Babadağ is among the world's leading air sports center, the chairman of Fethiye Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FTSO) said.

Osman Çıralı, the chairman of Fethiye Chamber of Commerce and Industry stressed that many tourists from all over the world came to Ölüdeniz for paragliding from Babadağ.

“This year 166,701 people flew from Mt. Babadağ. This number is higher than last year's flights. Our goal next year is to catch 200,000 flights,” he said.

Çıralı said that ongoing construction of the cable car in Mt. Babadağ is a big gain for Fethiye.

“When the cable car is built, 1 million people are expected to go up to Mt. Babadağ annually. It's not hard to catch a million people target in a year. There will be three restaurants in Mt. Babadağ,” Çıralı noted.

“The cable car will make a great contribution to Fethiye economically,” he added.

Mt. Babadağ rises out of the Fethiye plain forming gorges, headlands, small coves and beaches, stretching 60 kilometers south to the 33-kilometer-long Patara Beach.

The World Heritage Foundation has classified the mountain among the most important in the world, in urgent need of protection, due to the importance of its endemic species.