ISTANBUL, April 16 — Turkish hot-air balloon tourism set an all-time record with 933,195 tourists taking to the skies in 2024, authorities announced on Wednesday, reported Xinhua.
The 2024 figure represented a 25 per cent increase over 2023, according to figures of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation under the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure.
A total of 43,283 balloon flights were carried out across seven major hot spots, including Cappadocia in central Anatolia, renowned for its fairy chimneys and ancient cave dwellings, and Pamukkale, the “Cotton Castle” of southwestern Denizli province.
The Directorate General has recently begun evaluating requests from travel agencies to permit flights in additional regions, conducting inspections across several designated areas to ensure safe operations.
Butterfly Balloons in Cappadocia told Xinhua that the biggest challenge in adding new locations to the schedule is harsh weather conditions.
“Flights are highly dependent on weather conditions, with strong winds, rain, fog and thermal turbulence among the main factors that can lead to cancellations,” the company said.
Currently, there are 71 licensed operators across the country, conducting flights with 441 hot-air balloons. — Bernama-Xinhua