Cappadocia visited by over 2 million to October

NEVŞEHİR - Anadolu Agency

The most popular places visited by tourists in Cappadocia are the Göreme Open Air Museum and the Kaymaklı and Derinkuyu underground cities

The number of tourists visiting Cappadocia, one of the most popular tourism destinations in Turkey, exceeded 2 million people through the first 10 months of the year, according to new figures.

Cappadocia, which is famous for its fairy chimneys, hot-air balloon trips, underground cities and boutique hotels carved into rocks, has been visited by 2,386,000 Turkish and foreign tourists since the beginning of the year, compared to 2,327,744 tourists in the previous year. The number of tourists in the region is expected to exceed 3 million by the end of the year.

The most popular places visited by the tourists are the Göreme Open Air Museum and the Kaymaklı and Derinkuyu underground cities.

Becoming more popular

“Cappadocia has become more popular day by day and the number of tourists increases each year,” said Nazif Demir, secretary-general of the Cappadocia Tourism Managers Foundation (KAPTİD). He also said Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr had had a positive affect on the region.

“Tourism managers expect direct flights to the region and an increase in the existing number of flights,” Demir said, noting tourist operators’ biggest desire in the hunt for more tourists.

Hot-air balloon trips and trekking are very popular in Cappadocia. Sedimentary rocks formed in lakes and streams and ignimbrite deposits that erupted from ancient volcanoes approximately 9 million to 3 million years ago, underlie the Cappadocia region. The rocks of Cappadocia near Göreme eroded into hundreds of pillars and minaret-like forms. People of the villages at the heart of the Cappadocia region carved out houses, churches and monasteries from the soft rocks of volcanic deposits. Göreme was a monastic center from 300 to 1200 A.D.