Following the success of this year’s Taj Balloon Festival, the Uttar Pradesh government’s tourism department is hoping that the event will be transformed into an annual affair.
This year’s edition took place in Agra, India at the end of November and it saw more than 25,000 visitors in attendance to witness the colourful display of hot air balloons that had gathered from all over the world. In total, 15 balloons took part in the festival and they had travelled from the likes of Switzerland, the UK, the UAE, Malaysia, Belgium, Poland and the Netherlands.
According to UP Tourism’s Avinash Mishra, the event was able to boost the local economy of Agra and put it on the map in terms of a prestigious world tourist event. One of the main purposes of the event was to boost the level of adventure tourism and aviation-based entertainment in the region, something that the company believes it has been successful with this year.
Of the balloons to take part in the festival, three took the form of celebrated characters, namely a Smurf, Happy Egg and Bob the Lobster. Furthermore, a total of 300 were lucky enough to experience a hot air balloon adventure over the city’s iconic Taj Mahal from a perspective that they could never have experienced before.
For those who were not able to experience that flight, they were given the opportunity to get in a balloon and take flight in the form of a tethered balloon ride.
Here in the UK we have the largest Balloon Fiesta in Europe – the International Bristol Balloon Fiesta! The 2017 Bristol Balloon Fiesta is due to take place 10th – 13th August with 7 Mass ascents with up to 150 balloons. The Bristol Balloon Fiesta is a magical event and you can take part in one of the mass ascents with Bailey Balloons from just £200 per person!
Bristol Balloon Fiesta mass ascent
