Balloons offer bird's eye view over Turkey's Lakes Region

Burdur's district of Karamanlı plans to initiate hot air balloon tours to enable tourists to see the historic and natural sites of the region from high up. Yusuf Altun, the district head of Karamanlı, spoke with journalists and said that the hot air balloon tours will contribute to the tourism of the region.

He said their aim is to draw domestic as well as international tourists from Antalya and surrounding provinces to Burdur, whose Lake Karataş stands out for its unique nature, adding that hot air balloon tours will offer an entertaining experience for tourists. Altun said that the private sector also supports their project.

Karamanlı Municipality Mayor Fatih Selimoğlu underscored the importance of hot air balloon tours for the development of Burdur's tourism and said: "If the people of Burdur support tourism activities, everything will turn out great for Burdur as well as its districts."

A representative of the company which received a permit to fly in the region, Kemal Arslan claimed that Karamanlı is a perfect place for alternative tourism activities. "After two years of hard work, we managed last month to secure a permit to fly in the area. Two million tourists come to Cappadocia every year to fly in hot air balloons. We expect hot air balloon tours in Burdur to be an alternative tourism activity."

Stating that Burdur welcomes 12 million tourists annually, Arslan said that they aim to improve hot air balloon tourism in the region. Neriman Kutler flew in a promotion hot air balloon flight and stressed the beauty of the experience, saying: "I was scared at first but then all my fears were gone. It was a nice and entertaining flight." Betil Altıntaş said that it is not an everyday experience to watch the sunrise from high up in the air.

The hot air balloon tours are among the most expensive alternative tourism activities contributing to regional tourism. Test flights have been completed and tours are expected to start as soon as possible.

The flights will take place between Lake Karataş and Çavdır district and tourists will be able to see the ancient city of Sagalassos from the air. The company will provide flights with hot air balloons between Karataş, Salda, lakes of Burdur, Gölhisar Plains and the ancient city of Kibyra, enabling visitors to explore Burdur from 1,500 meters up.