185 thousand people flew in Cappadocia in 5 months

In Cappadocia, a tourism center known for its natural, historical, and cultural riches, 185,443 domestic and foreign tourists participated in hot air balloon tours. Cappadocia, which breaks a new record every year in terms of the number of tourists visiting museums and historical sites, continues to see a growing demand for hot air balloon tours every day. Located in the UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage List and known as the hot air balloon flying capital of the world, Cappadocia attracts increasing interest in hot air balloon tours. In the first 5 months of the year, during the 71 days of hot air balloon flights, 8,068 balloons took to the sky, allowing 185,443 domestic and foreign tourists to enjoy a bird’s eye view of the Cappadocia region. In the same period of 2023, 7,462 hot air balloons took flight in 68 days, with 161,912 domestic and foreign tourists participating in this activity. Tourism Operator Mehmet Dinler stated, ‘Cappadocia is the hot air balloon flying capital of the world. Looking at the data, by the end of the first 5 months, approximately 180,000 domestic and foreign guests enjoyed the hot air balloon tours in the skies of Cappadocia and Goreme. There is a 15% increase compared to the same period of the previous year in numbers. If the normal weather conditions and passenger numbers continue in this way, I believe that this year’s passenger count will surpass last year’s. Our primary goal is to exceed the 650,000 passenger count and reach our usual ideal target of 750,000 passengers. If we end the year in this way, we will close 2024 with a new record and enter 2025.’ Dinler added, ‘When we compare 2023 with 2024 in terms of foreign guests, this year we see more Indian guests. Additionally, there is an increase in the number of Chinese tourists. We expect a new activity in an Italian market in July and August. So far, everything is going well in Cappadocia tourism.’ In the Cappadocia region, 434,639 tourists participated in hot air balloon tours in 2014, 498,812 in 2015, 250,000 in 2016, 329,390 in 2017, 537,500 in 2018, 585,582 in 2019, 120,917 in 2020, 388,833 in 2021, 662,443 in 2022, and 615,063 in 2023.