Travel Turkey: New Routes in Hot Air Balloon Tourism
The President of the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TÜRSAB), Firuz Bağlıkaya, stated that the number of hot air balloon passengers could reach 2 million by 2030 with flights on new routes to be determined by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
In his statement, Bağlıkaya recalled that the Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, had announced that the number of people participating in hot air balloon tours reached 933,000 in 2024.
Bağlıkaya thanked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (SHGM) for their support in the development of balloon tours and emphasized that high-value-added tourism products are very important for Turkey.
Pointing out that countries worldwide focus more on increasing tourism revenues rather than just the number of tourists, Bağlıkaya said, “Therefore, the importance of high-value-added products is increasing day by day. In this sense, we find the development of balloon tours to be very valuable. As TÜRSAB, we are focused on increasing tourism revenues by expanding the variety of tourism products.”
Bağlıkaya stated that the main goal of the “Tourism Century” project they had launched from Burdur was to expand tourism to 12 months a year and across the country, as well as to attract guests from higher income groups to Turkey. He added that Turkey had the potential to reach a much higher level in tourism.
He emphasized that in addition to Turkey’s natural beauties, its historical and cultural values should be enriched and evaluated with new products. Bağlıkaya said, “Within the scope of the Tourism Century project, we have made a special effort to ensure that balloon tours, which started over the natural wonder of Salda Lake, reach a much wider audience through our travel agencies.”
New Routes in Hot Air Balloon Tourism
“Balloon tourism creates significant economic movement”
Firuz Bağlıkaya explained that 71 hot air balloon companies authorized by SHGM operated flights in 8 regions, with 80% of balloon passengers flying in Cappadocia. He pointed out that balloon businesses and travel agencies created job opportunities and economic activity for many people. Bağlıkaya added that by increasing the flight destinations, the added value of balloon tourism would spread to different regions of Turkey.
Bağlıkaya emphasized the vital importance of travel agencies in the development of tourism, stating, “A tourism product becomes a marketable product and reaches its consumers only through travel agencies. In this regard, the work of travel agencies that are members of TÜRSAB is of great importance for the development of balloon tours. With flights on new routes to be determined by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, we could increase the number of balloon tour passengers to nearly 2 million by 2030.”
