You can now Uber a hot air balloon ride in this country! Here's how to book one

Uber Technologies Inc. is now booking hot air balloon rides for its users over the touristic Cappadocia region in Turkey. This is the latest step taken by the company in its push to expand its ride-booking business and create a space for itself among the bigger players in the travel and tourism sector.

How can users book hot air balloon rides with Uber?

The users of the Uber application have to pay €150 ($159) for reserving one of 20 seats on a 1.5-hour sunrise flight which takes them 3,000 feet (914.4 meters) above the UNESCO-listed volcanic landscape of Cappadocia.

Cappadocia is among the top tourist attractions of the country and is known for its 10th-century churches and cave cities, said the company in a statement on Monday (Oct 23). It accounted for around 10 per cent of the 44.6 million foreign visitors who visited Turkey in 2022.

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Meanwhile, a target of 60 million tourists has been established by the country's Ministry of Culture and Tourism for Turkey in 2023.

The hot air balloon service is part of the vision of Uber to emerge into what Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi called “the operating system for everyday life”.

New travel options were launched by the company mostly in international markets outside the United States, like offering Tuk-Tuks booking in India, flight bookings in the UK and seasonal boat services in Greece.

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As per a report published in the Telegraph, Uber has timed the new hot air balloon service's launch with the centenary year of Turkey, in which it offers free rides to the first 100 customers. The report stated that the hot air balloon service will not be as spontaneous as booking a ride and the users will need to book seats in the hot air balloon at least 12 hours in advance through the Reserve section of Uber.

Turkey has emerged as one of the fastest-growing markets for Uber, said the company with the number of app trips increasing by more than 50 per cent since last year. The company has registered more than 30,000 active taxi drivers in nine cities in Turkey, with the highest number in Istanbul.

(With inputs from agencies)

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