Let's talk about a rare but impressive form of transport - a hot air balloon, and about world ballooning festivals.
Vehicles are an integral part of tourism. To a greater extent, they are used to transport travelers from their place of residence to the place of their leisure. And a small part of the transport can be used as a tool for recreation and entertainment.
Air vehicles designed not only for transporting tourists from point A to point B, but also for aesthetic pleasure, receiving a portion of positive emotions or a surge of adrenaline, include: hang gliders, paragliders, paramotors, seaplanes, airships and balloons.
The latter have the main entertainment function: you can control the balloon along a vertical trajectory, while horizontally it is controlled by the wind, so it cannot be used as a full-fledged vehicle.
But in the form of a pleasure craft, both romantic and extreme, the balloon is popular. True, riding on this balloon is not available to everyone. This type of vacation is considered an elite one and is not so cheap.
In many countries of the world, the aeronautics industry is at a high level of development. The brightest balloon festivals are annually held in Europe, and the largest of them is the European Balloon Festival. It is held in Spain, in the small town of Catalonia - Igualada. The holiday, which attracts more than 25 thousand tourists, lasts for two weeks.
An equally famous festival has been held in Switzerland for 40 years. At the alpine resort of Chateau-d'Eau, on the day of the holiday, you can see various aircraft, but the main ones are balloons. They host competitions, arrange parades and conduct excursions over the most beautiful Swiss landscapes.
In Asia, Thais invite guests to the festival. The number of tourists at the festival every year exceeds 200,000! There you can enjoy exciting rides, fun for the whole family and traditional Thai food. And, of course, all day long access to balloons is open, anyone who wishes will be gladly given a ride under the clouds.
And the festival in Albuquerque (USA) was included in the Guinness Book of Records: travelers and Americans could see 345 balloons in the sky at the same time. In addition to balloons of a typical shape, there are also bizarre specimens: in the form of a butterfly, a hot dog, a cartoon character or a mug of beer.
You can take a ride on an aircraft even at night, when it is filled with a romantic glow.
We can mention the international festivals in Mexico, Turkey, Italy and Georgia, where the celebration is also bright and impressive.
Although Russia is not one of the leading countries in the aeronautics industry, nevertheless, there is an opportunity to fly in a hot air balloon in many regions: in the Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, in the Moscow Region and near St. Petersburg, in the Urals and in the Crimea.
The cost of such a walk varies from 10 to 40 thousand, the price is influenced by the city where the service is provided, the number of passengers and competitors.
Our planet is rich in natural beauty that will take your breath away. And technical progress is able to give everyone the opportunity to admire the picturesque landscapes from a bird's eye view.
The balloon helps to capture incredible pictures of our world. Are you ready to fly?
