A total of 933,195 tourists took to the skies over Turkey in hot air balloons in 2024, marking a 25 percent increase over the previous year and reaching the highest number of tourists flying in a balloon in the country's history, according to data from the Turkish Civil Aviation Directorate (SHGM), cited by "Hurriyet Daily News“.
According to the directorate, Turkish hot air balloon operators carried out 43,283 flights last year, with the main places where tourists preferred to fly were Cappadocia and Çat in Nevşehir district, Pamukkale in Denizli district, Soganli in Kayseri district, Aspendos in Antalya district, the Uhlara Valley in Aksaray District and the Phrygian Valley in Afyonkarahisar District. The Directorate emphasizes that a total of 71 licensed companies operate in the country, with 441 balloons.
The majority of the flights were carried out in Cappadocia, which is known for its fabulous views, also indicated by “Hürriyet Daily News“.
For comparison, in 2023, a total of 747,203 tourists flew in a hot air balloon in Turkey, with the number of balloons with which the flights were carried out being 431.