Some 281,000 tourists toured skies with hot air balloons in 6 months: Minister

NEVŞEHİR

Aroud 281,000 local and international tourists were carried in more than 14,000 hot air balloon flights across the country, Türkiye’s transport and infrastructure minister has said.

Speaking to local media at the end of the third Cappadocia Balloon Festival on July 24, Adil Karaismailoğlu said, “In the first six months of 2022, some 450 pilots flew some 313 hot air balloons over [the historical region of] Cappadocia, [the western province of Denizli’s tourism hub] Pamukkale, [the central Anatolian province of Nevşehir’s] Çat and [the central Anatolian province of Kayseri’s] Soğanlı.”

“Some 14,166 flights were performed,” he added.

Giving the number of the tourists carried in the flights as 281,000, the minister highlighted, “The number of tourists on hot air balloons has tripled.”

Apart from the touristic flights, the number of training flights has increased, too.

“The number of training flights are up to 2,681 from 1,681 [compared to last year’s data],” he expressed.

Cappadocia is a historical region located within the borders of six Central Anatolian provinces, known for fairy chimneys, formed with sedimentary rocks and ignimbrite deposits that erupted from ancient volcanoes some three to nine million years ago.

The minister also pointed out the production of the indigenous balloons.

“Amid the festival, some 50 indigenous hot air balloons rose up to the skies over Cappadocia,” he mentioned proudly.

The third Cappadocia Balloon Festival ended on July 24, with some 18 hot air balloons with special figures from 12 countries rising up to the sky along with the 150 touristic balloons every morning in the four-day event.

The officials listed the 12 countries as the U.K., Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic, Brazil, Spain, North Macedonia, Slovenia and Türkiye.