Because of technological advances and globalization, many people can afford to travel. The tourism industry is a promising one with a large and steady audience. A travel app can help companies expand their market position, increase sales, and promote overall growth.
We’ll be covering this type of app more in-depth and giving helpful tips on how to make a travel app that is a success.
Travellers love to book hotel reservations, flight bookings, apartments for rent, and other trip planning apps. They can receive important notifications on their smartphones, save loyalty program cards in designated apps, track route information with the right software, and much more. These data show that travel app development is an excellent investment opportunity.
70% of spontane bookings and travels are made using smartphones. 64% of respondents said they would love to see a virtual tour of the future lodging facility before making a booking.
The 2018 increase in digital tourism sales to $694 billion was 10% (eMarketer). Travel applications remain in the top 10 most downloaded categories on the App Store.
Also Read: Best Practices For Developing Your Travel App | EMB
These are the essential features for creating a travel app
A travel application can have many functions. This list may vary depending on which product is being used. However, we can highlight the most important ones to be aware of first.
1. Personal space of the user
An app for travel is something you can use at your own pace. It is necessary to create a user account. It is possible to store personal information for expediting activities like rebooking or payment transfers. Users can also check their booking history and trip history.
2. Data aggregation by outside parties
You can use the API to integrate data from third-party service providers to your users. You can create sections that include information about vehicle rentals, flight schedules, rates, and any other similar information.
3. Filtering and search options
A search function is required if your app has a lot of content. Consumers will be able to create multiple filters for more targeted results, which will allow them to avoid getting lost in the sea of data and help them quickly find what they are looking for.
4. Navigation and geolocation
Navigation and maps are crucial components to a travel app. This feature is implemented using geolocation technology. A practical navigation system can be useful for hiking and other outdoor activities. The map can show nearby tourist attractions and hotels within the city.
5. Reservation system
The app should allow users to book hotel or airline tickets and car rentals at their convenience. Users can also access their personal data from their profile. If you have an agreement with service providers, you can offer users a loyalty program that encourages them to use your products.
6. Create a schedule
Users can view the entire trip itinerary from start to finish in one place. This feature is easy to use as it removes the need for multiple apps. Potential customers are encouraged to only use one.
7. Important event notices
The app can remind you about important events based upon your vacation schedule. The app may notify users about upcoming flights, check-ins at hotels, and work schedules, among other things.
8. Users’ feedback
People want to see interesting places, but also share their experiences and learn from others. This feature will make your app more popular and encourage users to use it more often, as they won’t have to visit many tourist sites.
User-generated ratings and reviews are the key to TripAdvisor and Yelp’s success.
9. Weather forecast
Weather predictions are another interesting function you could include in your app. Weather conditions are crucial when people plan to trek. This feature can be implemented using many APIs, such as Forecast.io and AccuWeather. OpenWeatherMap and YahooWeather.
10. Bathroom Locator
Are you a tourist who has ever needed to go to the bathroom while on the road? This is a common problem for thousands of tourists and they must deal with it.
When designing your travel app or website, this is an important feature that you should include. SitOrSquat and Toilet Finder are two popular options for finding a toilet in an emergency.
11. Time Converter for the Whole World
Travelers can get confused when trying to track the exact changes in clock hours. This is a simple function that can be included in any travel app. This may discourage others from installing another. Apps like Time Buddy can be a great resource for travel app developers. It calculates the correct time for each time zone and saves time.
You can either implement all these services, or you can start with an MVP to improve its capabilities later. It all depends on the product’s goals, financial capacity of the customer, and your development approach.
How to make money with a travel app
You have many options to make money from travel apps. These are the most important. They are used depending on the business model of major corporations in the market.
Model for advertising: This is a very popular choice among content-type applications, which are basically databases like city guides, catalogs of famous sites, facilities, etc.
Paid downloads are when users download an app from Google Play, the App Store or both.
Accessing premium features: Although the software may come as a free download, users might be charged for premium content or other features.
Subscription. This situation sees counterparties or consumers being charged a commission fee for a specified time period (ranging from one month to one-year).
Another popular monetization strategy for the travel industry is the commission of the agency. Affiliate commissions can be earned for every booking made via your app (hotel booking, booking of air tickets, rental car, etc. ).
Read More: Tips to Get Affordable App Development Services
