Hot balloon tourism on track to break record this year: Minister

ISTANBUL

Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu has stated that 2024 could set a new all-time record in hot air balloon tourism, surpassing the 2022 figure of an impressive 750,000 people who took hot air balloon rides.

In January-September, 32,445 took to the sky with 700,000 domestic and foreign balloon passengers, according to the minister.

Türkiye carries out the world's largest commercial hot air balloon operation in terms of both traffic volume and number of days flown, Uraloğlu said.

There are currently 70 licensed hot air balloon businesses and six approved training organizations in the country, Uraloğlu said.

Hot air balloon rides are taking place in seven regions: Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Soğanlı, Çat, Ihlara, Afyonkarahisar and Antalya, he added.

“These businesses provide services with 439 hot air balloons and 712 balloon pilots in their fleet.”

More than 80 percent of the balloon flights are carried out in the Cappadocia region, Uraloğlu said.

“Cappadocia maintains its place at the top with its climate and wind structure and geography that allows flights up to 250 days a year on average,” he stated.

Uraloğlu added that the number of flights conducted in Cappadocia in a single day rivals those typically seen only during festivals in other regions of the world.