Business Maverick

Business Maverick

Uber to offer hot air balloon rides in Turkey in tourism push

Uber to offer hot air balloon rides in Turkey in tourism push
Cappadocia, Turkey, pictured in September 2019. (Photo: Andrew Delmont)

Uber will let users book hot air balloon rides over Turkey’s touristic Cappadocia region, the latest step in the company’s push to expand from taxis and ride-hailing into wider travel and tourism.

App users can pay €150 (R3,022) to reserve one of 20 places on a 1.5-hour sunrise flight 914.4m above the Unesco-registered volcanic landscape, famous for its cave cities and churches dating back to the 10th century, the company said in a statement on Monday.

The area is a major tourist attraction in Turkey, with around 10% of the country’s 44.6 million foreign visitors in 2022 staying there, according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. This year, Turkey aims to attract a record 60 million tourists.

The balloon service is part of Uber’s vision to grow into what CEO Dara Khosrowshahi has called “the operating system for everyday life”. It’s launched new travel options mostly in international markets outside the US, offering Tuk-Tuks in India, seasonal boat services in Greece and flight bookings in the UK.

Turkey has become one of Uber’s fastest-growing markets, the company said, with the number of app trips rising by over 50% since last year. The company has more than 30,000 active taxi drivers in nine Turkish cities, with the most in Istanbul.

Gallery

Comments - Please in order to comment.

Please peer review 3 community comments before your comment can be posted

MavericKids vol 3

How can a child learn to read if they don't have a book?

81% of South African children aged 10 can't read for meaning. You can help by pre-ordering a copy of MavericKids.

For every copy sold we will donate a copy to Gift of The Givers for children in need of reading support.

A South African Hero: You

There’s a 99.8% chance that this isn’t for you. Only 0.2% of our readers have responded to this call for action.

Those 0.2% of our readers are our hidden heroes, who are fuelling our work and impacting the lives of every South African in doing so. They’re the people who contribute to keep Daily Maverick free for all, including you.

The equation is quite simple: the more members we have, the more reporting and investigations we can do, and the greater the impact on the country.

Be part of that 0.2%. Be a Maverick. Be a Maverick Insider.

Support Daily Maverick→
Payment options