How Travel Mobile Apps Are Changing the Tourism Industry?

Facts Regarding Travel Mobile App

Tourism is a billion-dollar industry, with many thriving economies depending upon it. People spend around 130% more each year, which depicts the widespread craze for travel and the growing need for catering for tourists. Travel mobile apps have made bookings and all travel-related matters easier.

The travel mobile app industry is thus slowly transforming the tourism industry. The digital revolution is here, and gone are the days when people made manual bookings or had any language barrier in another country. Instead, tourists have started to rely on mobile apps for any problem they might face when traveling, be it a cultural difference, complete isolation from their homeplace, or any other. There were slightly over one billion travel mobile app users in 2019, with approximately 1.5 billion people taking trips worldwide and more than 65% using a smartphone to book.

According to statistics, more than 60% of users use travel mobile apps to plan their trips. This is because there are so many logistical requirements and required planning, and these apps assist in making the journey easier. People can make hotel bookings, book flight or train tickets, and document their travel journey. The comfort and ease of these mobile apps for travel and tourism have entirely redefined the travel experience. There are apps for translation to help people communicate in a foreign place without needing a physical translator. In addition, there are apps for finding out about nearby places for exploration and their reviews. People can also look for restaurants and markets or entertainment areas with travel apps. In the most recent quarter, Booking Holdings‘ revenue surged 29% year over year to $6.1 billion, while its net income rose by 117% to $1.7 billion.

Why Are Mobile Apps Preferred For Travel?

A travel mobile app lacks a generic concept definition, so this question holds several layers. People may make traveling more convenient by using one of the many various adventure travel applications. Apps that cater to tourists:

• Allow to check and reserve hotel and airfare tickets

• Provides better personalization

• Enabling people to plan their travel and book accommodation

• Enabling to schedule various tasks (sightseeing tours etc.)

• It allows one to book vacation packages at multiple locations

• Assist in finding nearby eateries, medical facilities, banking, and more

Although each application for travel companion apps has a unique way of addressing travel and tourism needs, they all essentially offer the same advantage & comfort.

Further Read: Travel App Ideas: Companies Can Steal To Shape Their Business

Travel Mobile App: Case Studies

A revolution in mobile technology has resulted from the development of high-tech mobile applications. The tourism sector will particularly benefit from this growth. Mobile devices make internet connectivity and online service booking possible by eliminating administrative positions and concentrating on marketing.

Using a mobile, anyone can reserve travel packages and other travel-related services. To compete with the rivals now is the right time for businesses to release a mobile app. Consider an app that informs travelers when they arrive at their location.

1. Airbnb – Best Travel App For Homestay

Homeowners who want to rent out their properties can connect with visitors looking for local lodging via Airbnb. It is active in more than 81,000 cities across 191 countries.

However, there is a danger that a visitor could cause harm. Hosts can utilize Airbnb to commercialize their homes. Finding inexpensive lodging could be helpful for tourists. If businesses are planning to create a similar app, they might also provide car rental services.

2. HotelTonight — Last-Minute Hotel Deals At Great Hotels

Through HotelTonight, people might find fantastic last-minute discounts on available hotel rooms. The process of booking a room is swift and straightforward.

Utilize a map, a city search, or an attraction search to find reviews and photos submitted by other guests. Furthermore, there is always customer service available.

How Are Travel Mobile Apps Benefiting Tourists?

1. Reduces Paperwork & Resource Cost

The manual work has dramatically been reduced in the past years, and loads of paperwork needed for applications and bookings have become negligible. In addition, soft copies of documents can be stored on the device. Thus, manual labor and unnecessary costs have been cut down in the travel process.

2. Convenient & Easy-To-Use

Travel apps are incredibly convenient and easy to use, with complicated processes translated with a few clicks. People can use them anytime, anywhere they want, thus providing tourists with a hassle-free experience.

3. Great User Experience

Travel apps are highly functional, and multiple feature integrations help tourists do almost anything they want. Whether searching for local tourist spots, adventure activities, good hotels, or formulating a map for a road trip, there are travel apps for almost everything.

4. A Single Place For All Bookings

Long trips to different locations might become very cumbersome in terms of bookings and a lengthy process if a tourist does it manually. Most travel apps have features to make all their bookings under one roof, be it flights, hotels, cabs, or buses, which makes these very handy for making all the travel arrangements.

5. IoT-Based Decisions

IoT-based solutions for tourism apps, including geolocation, are frequently used by travel app developers. Users can easily navigate a new location with the aid of this function.

Categories Of A Travel Mobile App

Since there are various areas in which tourists might need help, the travel apps have been categorized according to their functionality:

1. Accommodation Booking

These travel mobile apps include those which help people to book accommodation for staying at a particular place. People can book fancy hotels and hostels which suit their budget and requirements. There are thousands of options to choose from, along with features such as reviews, facilities, cost, and distance from local tourist sites. So instead of following the exhausting process of calling up and enquiring about each place of stay, people can directly browse and book their room.

2. Transport Booking

This category covers the essential apps that help people book flights, trains, or travel cabs. One can compare prices, see the available dates and pay directly to secure their seat without needing currency conversion. Transport booking apps are beneficial, as they reduce users’ dependency on travel agencies or localities for movement. In addition, people can make their bookings conveniently and at their own pace.

3. Navigation

Navigation apps help people travel throughout the city they are visiting. It would help if they had guidance from a trustworthy source to travel around an unfamiliar place. Navigation apps tell people about the local tourist sites, unique experiences found nearby, or just good places to eat or shop so that they know where to go and which place helps them fulfill their trip’s purpose. GPS services and maps are included in this.

4. Social

Social apps help people to document the whole journey with their family and friends. They can make videos and collages and share their memories with their close ones. These apps help people communicate freely, as well as help them to keep in touch with their people back home.

5. Banking

This area used to be entirely manual until a few years ago. Now, apps have been developed which help people in currency conversion to transfer money directly for bookings or overseas banking. As a result, one does not need to worry about carrying massive amounts of hard cash, which is challenging to do while traveling.

Features To Include In Travel Mobile App

1. In-App Translator

This feature helps to give mobile travel apps the edge they need. However, in most cases, the tourists are unaware of the regional language, which can make the communication gap huge. This might affect their travel and journey.

It can be implemented by scanning, speech-to-text, or maybe scanning a location and getting their description through voice.

2. Currency Converter

The currency used worldwide is different, and its rate keeps on fluctuating. A currency converter helps people know the conversion concerning the cash they have, which they can use to make transactions, withdraw money, etc.

3. Geolocation Services

Geolocation services help track the location, which can be used to fetch accurate results. For instance, this feature is necessary to browse good eating joints nearby or book a cab service.

4. Trip Reviews

Since there is a high chance that the destination people are traveling to is entirely unknown, trip reviews by multiple users help them get a real insight into how a thing or place is. People can make a fair judgment, as the people giving the reviews share their good or bad experiences.

5. Payment Integration

This feature is crucial for any travel mobile app, as they don’t have to carry around a considerable amount of cash to pay for their services otherwise. One can use a payment gateway and only book the service through the app. This increases the security and portability of money.

Kickstart Your Travel Mobile App Idea With Markovate

People are eager to resume their domestic and international travel after the restrictions on tourism and travel have been loosened. However, there has been a significant change in how users use the services. Travel bookings and planning are becoming increasingly popular online.

Everything is done online, including ordering tickets, cabs, hotels, and currency exchanges. The availability of travel-related services via an app is thus no longer a choice but a must if businesses supply services to the tourism industry. The web presence of a business will allow customers to contact them.

Markovate empathizes with tourists who travel worldwide and might need services that help them keep in touch with their habits and lifestyle. An example of a product delivered by Markovate is the Trapeze app. It is an efficient, flexible, and productive application that brings about ease in transit and fulfills the needs of riders to access last-mile mobility solutions.

Travelling can deteriorate the tourist’s health by quite a large amount, and this app ensures that people can work out in their style anywhere they go without breaking their routine. Hence, Markovate can be the perfect fit if businesses want a travel app development company that understands business needs and helps them maximize their profits with any travel-related service app.

Travel Mobile App: Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do mobile travel apps help?

Travel apps help to bridge the communication gap, make bookings more accessible, and allow travel to places independently. From booking flights, train and bus tickets, to even renting cars and hotels, these travel apps are loaded with features that can help users travel better and more conveniently.

2. How much does it cost to develop a travel app?

The cost of developing a travel application depends on the features and technology stack we discussed earlier.

But these still aren’t enough to give you a good idea of how much you’ll need to set aside for the price of developing a travel booking app. Still, there are a few essential considerations that should be taken into account. The elements influencing the cost of developing mobile travel applications:

• Backend Architecture Choice

• Technology Incorporation 

• Travel Booking App Design and Development

3. Why does your travel business need a mobile app?

Mobile Apps for travel and tourism are necessary for any travel business as they help to reach customers in any place in the world, market the service you provide, and act as an efficient medium for building trust between the business and the tourist.