Over 3.6M tourists visited Türkiye’s famed fairy-tale land Cappadocia so far this year

Local tourism authorities expect over 4M tourists by end of year to visit land of fairy chimneys, underground cities, and early Christian chapels

Over 3.6 million tourists visited Türkiye’s famed, fairy-tale like destination Cappadocia in the first 10 months of his year. Cappadocia, a UNESCO world heritage site located in the central province of Nevsehir, became a popular destination worldwide in recent years thanks to its distinctive volcanic cones known as fairy chimneys, atmospheric underground cities, hot-air balloon trips, houses carved into rocks, and churches, chapels, and shelters used in the early years of the Christian faith. Cappadocia's museums and archaeological sites were visited by nearly 3.63 million people so far this year, said the Nevsehir Culture and Tourism Directorate. Furthermore, nearly 600,000 tourists, a record number, took hot-air balloon trips, which allowed them to enjoy the spectacular scenery of Cappadocia from the air. Speaking to Anadolu Agency, Ismail Sucu, a senior executive of the local tourism authority, said he is confident that even more tourists will be coming to Cappadocia in the coming years. “By end of the year we expect the number of tourists to exceed 4 million,” he said. Business owners argued that Chinese visitors will be decisive in breaking new records for the number of tourists.