ISTANBUL
Hot air balloon tourism in Türkiye could attract nearly 2 million passengers by 2030 with the introduction of new routes, according to the head of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB).
In an interview with state-run Anadolu Agency, Firuz Bağlıkaya said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu recently announced that 933,000 people took hot air balloon tours in 2024.
He mentioned that the Century of Tourism project, launched in the southwestern province of Burdur, aims to promote year-round tourism across all regions of the country while attracting high-income visitors.
“As part of the project, we’ve focused on promoting balloon tours over Salda Lake, a natural wonder, to a wider audience through travel agencies,” he said.
Lake Salda, in Burdur, is famed for its turquoise waters and white shores, earning it the nickname “Türkiye’s Maldives.”
According to NASA, Salda is thought to be the only lake on Earth that has similar minerals and deltas to those found at Mars’ Jezero Crater, thought to have once been the site of a sprawling lake.
Bağlıkaya explained that 71 hot air balloon operators authorized by Türkiye’s Civil Aviation Directorate currently do flights across eight regions, with 80 percent of these tours taking place in the picturesque Cappadocia region.
Hot air balloon tourism in Türkiye, mostly centered in the Cappadocia region, has become a leading attraction for visitors seeking adventure and scenic views.
Known for its fairy chimneys, rock formations, and ancient cave dwellings, Cappadocia provides a dramatic backdrop for sunrise flights.
The activity, which began gaining popularity in the 1980s, is now a cornerstone of the region’s tourism economy.
In Türkiye’s eight regions, including Cappadocia, Pamukkale, Soğanlı, Çat, Ihlara, Şanlıurfa Göbeklitepe, Afyonkarahisar and Antalya, a total of 43,000 hot air balloon flights took place in 2024.
The number of passengers on hot air balloon rides increased by 25 percent compared to 2023, according to Uraloğlu.
Since 2011, a total of 5.6 million Turkish and foreign passengers took hot air balloon rides on 290,000 flights in the country, according to the minister.
