Travel App Development Cost, Features, Types, and More

“Travel App Development Cost” is the hot word for travel and tourism businesses.

American tourism and travel industry are huge. Even back in 2019, tourists spent $1.1 Trillion dollar. And it’s expected by the end of 2023, the revenue generation reached US$190.40 Billion.

Despite the mind-boggling size of the industry, we are going to discuss a very particular part of this industry, “travel apps”.

With the rising number of smartphone users across the world and these solutions becoming more & more helpful, the use of the mobile application in the tourism and travel industry has increased.

In fact, travel and tourism apps like Booking.com, trivago, and Google Travel are changing how the industry works.

Travel apps are generated millions in revenue for businesses. And it is expected that by the year 2026, travel and tourism apps alone will be making more than half a billion dollars in revenue.

This presents a huge opportunity for a lot of businesses. And with curiosity for travel apps, also comes a lot of questions like the Cost of travel app development, what are the features, how can you make one, and so on.

So, if you want to learn more about developing a travel app, this blog is for you.

Travel App Development: How It’s Changing Travel and Tourism.

Ever since the introduction of smartphones, mobile apps have become one of the largest technological trends.

Fast forward to 2023, there is an app for everything,

Want to order food? There’s an app for it. Can’t find a charging station for your EV? Just download an app. Want to hire people for your workplace? There’s an app for that too.

Even if you want to book a flight, reserve a hotel room, or plan a whole trip, you can find a mobile app to do just that.

All in all, mobile apps – sitting at the centre of the fourth industrial revolution – are making the world a simpler and easier place.

The travel and Tourism industry is no stranger to this trend either. In fact, in recent years, the use of travel apps has only increased.

Statistics

• More than 61% of travellers in the United States book and pay for their travel through mobile apps.
• 64% of tourist use smartphones (& mobile apps) for navigation.
• On average leisure travellers have 7-8 travel apps on their phones.
• They use it for searching for destinations, and attractions, checking the weather, booking flights, and hotel rooms, and more.
• Majority of the travellers prefer to use mobile apps for hotel booking and payments.
• With digitisation, most of the tourists rely on mobile apps to track loyaltly programs and access boarding passes.

These statistics clearly show, how many tourists rely on their phones and particular apps for everything. This is the impact of travel apps on the industry.

In the next few years, industry leaders will be pushing towards mobile technology, as we have already seen in other industries like on-demand, healthcare, education, and so on. While the motivating factor here is the ease of use and convenience, this is a huge opportunity for business.

With the rise of mobile applications in the Tourism and Travel Industry, platforms like Booking.com, Trivago, and Apps Like TripAdvisor are generating millions in revenue.

If you want to build a travel booking app, we shall be discussing all that. However, let’s look at the reason why everyone loves these apps and why there are so many businesses that want to invest in them.

Why Users ( & Businesses ) love Travel And Tourism Apps. And Why You Should Build One.

Travel Apps are very popular and travel app development services are with them. Spamming across various categories and having billions of downloads, these are loved by both users and businesses running them.

In this section of the blog, we will see, why everyone loves them i.e. the benefit of travel apps for users and businesses.

Since users are what drives a business, let’s look at them first.

The benefit of Travel App For Users

It goes without saying that a travel and tourism application offers a range of benefits to users. After all, they are entirely focused on customers and their needs. Let’s look at some of these advantages.

• Faster hotel and flight booking
• Access to more options at the fingertips
• Cheaper options
• Easy cancellations
• Secure document and pass handling with the common pass app
• Apps make trip planning easier.
• Saves a lot of time
• Makes navigation and commuting easier
• Get on-demand services easily

These are some of the top benefits of travel apps for users.

Why Build A Travel App? Benefits of Travel App For Users

So, why should a business invest in travel app development?

Well, there are many benefits a business can get out of travel applications. Let’s look at some of the main reasons and benefits of tourism and travel mobile apps for businesses.

• A wider range of audience
• Higher booking rate
• Reduced cost of operations
• Higher revenue generation
• Better ROI
• Less physical staff needed
• Easier customer handling
• Deliver better customer experience

These are just a few of the benefits businesses like hotels, travel agencies, taxi services, and other travel & tourism business gets by developing a travel app.

Now, if you want to build a travel mobile application, let’s first look at some market-leading travel applications in the next section and get inspired.

Best Travel Apps To Learn From

The market is filled with mediocre examples of travel application development. But in this section, we shall be looking at some of the best travel apps in the market.

If you want to build the next best travel mobile app, it’s best to get inspired by market leaders. And that’s exactly what we will be doing here.

These are some of the most popular and best travel apps in the market. And with this out of the way, let’s look at different types of travel applications in the section below.

Types Of Travel Apps: Super App vs Dedicated Apps

Travel and tourism app development branches off into a few different types. Here, we shall be going through these different types.

Let’s look at them and how they are different from each other.

• Travel Super App

In recent years, super app development has become a popular concept.

For those who don’t know, a super app is a solution that offers multiple services. A super app for travel and tourism may offer hotel booking, flight booking, finding attractions, etc or a combination of other services.

One big example of a Travel Super App is Goibibo.

The platform has more than 50,000,000+ downloads on both App Store and Play Store. Making it one of the most popular and best super tourism apps.

• Dedicated App For Travel & Tourism

As opposed to a super app, dedicated tourism and travel mobile applications are based around a single service.

For instance, a hotel booking app is a dedicated app and so is a flight booking app, you get the gist of it.

Some examples of dedicated travel apps are booking.com and Apps like Agoda, which allows you to book hotels. This is quite easily the most popular type when it comes to travel mobile app development.

• Segment Travel App

Dedicated apps are – well – dedicated to a particular travel & tourism-related service, segmented travel apps are more focused on a segment of customers.

For instance, tourists can be divided into various segments like students travelling on a low budget or hikers.

There are various applications which are focused around particular segments of customers. And one of the best examples of the same is nomadlist app.

This is an excellent example of PWA and inspires many.

These are the different types of travel and tourism applications. And with this out of the way, let’s look at some ideas for tourism app development in the section below.

Ideas For Travel App Development

Ideas are the seed that grows into a successful mobile app.

So, if you want to create the best travel apps, the first thing you need is an idea. To help you out, in this section of the blog, we shall be going through some of the best ideas for travel application development.

Therefore, with this being said, let’s get right into it:

• Hotel Booking App

The Hotel Booking App is a great way to find the best deals on hotels, motels, and resorts.

With this app, travellers can easily search for the perfect accommodation, compare prices, and book the one that fits their needs and budget.

It also allows users to check out reviews and ratings from other customers, so they can always be sure you’re getting the best deal.

With the Hotel Booking App Development, you can tap into one of the largest markets in the world and make a lot in revenue.

• Road Trip App

The Road Trip App is perfect for those who are planning a road trip. And one of the most common types of trip planner apps in the market today.

Enable the customers to plan the route and stops, get real-time traffic information, find the best places to stay along the way, and much more with this trip planner app.

Moreover, the user can also compare prices and book accommodations, find the best restaurants and attractions, and get recommendations from other travellers.

This is what makes this idea a good choice for travel application development.

• Flight Booking App

With custom flight booking app development, you can create the perfect tool for travellers who need to book flights.

Travellers can easily search for and compare flights, get real-time updates on prices and availability, and book the perfect flight for their needs.

Plus, they can also get notifications about discounts and special offers, receive help with insurance and paperwork, and access historical data on flight prices.

• Flight Tracker App

Travellers have a tendency of tracking their ride, be it a train or a plane. So, it’s a no-brainer to build a flight tracking application for your flight booking business.

This works as a booster for flight booking as it gives the customer a sense of control over their travel plan.

Moreover, the cost to develop a travel app like a flight tracker in real-time is usually minimal, so you don’t have to worry about that either. So, develop the best flight tracker today and rule the market.

• Travel Guide App

If you have been to a historic monument before, you know the pain of dealing with tourist guides. They will stick to you like a bee to honey.

But what if we tell you that businesses can provide guides without bothering part? Well, this is where travel guide apps come in. apps come in.

Based on the location, the travellers can get a detailed account of the history of the place and other interesting facts. They can play or pause the guide as per their comfort.

In addition to this, the app also does well to recommend nearby attractions, food places, and experiences. All in all, this is an innovative idea for travel and tourism app development that you should definitely consider.

• Travel Itinerary App

No matter if you are going to Paris or Miami, if the trip planning is all over the place, forget about enjoying.

That’s why the travel itinerary app is so popular among tourists across the world. This app helps users stay organized with a simple interface yet a powerful tool.

If you want to create a successful travel app, this is a great idea that would work great.

• Car Booking App

Well, taxi booking app development is already a popular idea among businesses. There are a lot of businesses that want to create an app like grab a taxi and for a good reason.

So, what makes taxi booking apps like Uber a Travel application? The answer is simple; taxis are the most common method of commuting for travellers.

This way, by combining two of the largest industries i.e. taxi and travel. Thus, generating millions or even billions in revenue.

• Travel Insurance App

Insurtech is one of the largest industries in the world on its own. And one of the most common types of insurance they offer is travel insurance.

Therefore, one of the most profitable travel app development ideas is the travel insurance app.

This best part is, you can develop and launch a travel insurance app in no time.

• Currency Conversion App

Just by the name of the app, you can imagine how useful it is going to be.

Moreover, considering the fact that majority of the Tourists in USA are international ones. Currency conversion app is a good solution to their currency problems.

And for that reason, this is something that you should definitely consider.

• Language Translation App

Language is one of the biggest barriers when travelling across the world. But with modern technology, this problem is solved too.

Language translation app allows tourist to convert what they want to say from their native tongue to something locals will understand.

Apps like Google Translation can even translate conversations in real time.

• Navigation & Map Apps

Navigation and maps applications are the real deal when it comes to travel app development.

Apps like Google Maps and Apple Maps are used by billions of people every day to figure out their way. And travellers want more.

With help of an app development company, you can create a navigation app specifically for travellers.

• Travel Pass App

The travellers pass app is an interesting concept. Let us tell you why?

When you are travelling, there are a lot of documents that you need to carry. Passport, boarding passes, hotel booking, the train passes, and whatnot.

All in all, while there are some documents that you need to carry physically, the travel pass app can help you carry the digitized ones.

• VR Tourism App

The last but most unique travel app development solution is, VR tourism app. Tourism is one of the biggest industries using VR apps. And it’s actually quite interesting.

This application allows users to have some of the best experiences of their lives like visiting the deepest point in ocean or climbing the top of mount Himalaya.

These are some of the best ideas to create a travel app. Now, to make your travel app development solution stand out from the rest, you have to fill it with amazing features. Let’s discuss just that in the next section.

Essential Feature, Every Travel App Must Have

Majority of the leisure travellers in the USA use mobile apps for hotel payment, booking flights, eating out, ordering food, and whatnot.

So, to stand out from the wave of travel applications, you need to make your app different. In other words,  you need to include the right features.

Another reason why choosing the right feature becomes so important is that features can highly affect travel app development costs in more than one way. We shall be discussing more this, later down the line.

Meanwhile, let’s look at some top features that you should include in your travel and vacation apps. These are, as mentioned below:

Secure Registration & Login

The first thing a user needs to do to use an app is registered themselves on it. Therefore, including a secure registration panel is important.

Advance Search Filter

The advanced search filter of the travel mobile application allows the users to search for the desired hotels, flights, or other items related to the travel.

Booking System

A booking system is a must for any and every travel application. This is also the main source of revenue for the best flight-booking app as well as hotel booking.

Push Notification

Push notifications have become essential for any mobile app, not just travel apps.

Payment Gateway Integration

To make payment for their booking, users should get secure payment gateway integration into their platforms.

Customer Helpline

More often than not, customers run into an issue. This can be technical in nature or well, sometimes they just don’t understand how the app works. In any case, the customer helpline is another essential for travel app development.

Due to the different types and wide range of travel app development, there aren’t a lot of features to discuss. But these are a few features and functionality that every travel and tourism application like Google Travel App Should have.

With this out of the way, let’s see how you can make your own travel app in the section below:

How Do You Build A Travel App? Step-By-Step Process

Do you want to develop a travel app that makes millions?

Mobile app development is no rocket science. In fact, once you know the basics, it’s quite simple. And that’s why in this section of the blog, we shall discuss how you can create a successful travel booking application in a few easy steps.

These are, as mentioned below:

1. Come Up With An Idea: everything starts with an idea, including travel app development.
2. Conduct Market Research: once you have an idea, turn your attention towards the market and research it well.
3. Choose A Platform: hybrid or native? Well, choosing a platform can be difficult, but this is something you need to do before you hire developers.
4. Hire Mobile App Developers: This is the time to find an app developer. Go the old style with an in-house team or use the modern approach of outsourcing.
5. Validate the idea: let experts with years of experience in mobile app development cross-check the idea for feasibility.
6. Build A Tech Stack: Choosing a tech stack is important. But choosing the right tech stack
7. is more important.
8. Design the App: This is where UI/UX design services show their magic and create the client side of the platform.
9. Travel app development: as the name suggests, this is the part where travel app developers write the source code and create the final version of the app.
10. Testing: for a final time, the QA team will test the app and make sure there are no underlying issues.
11. Deployment: with all merry, it’s time to launch the platform in the market.

This is the easy process you can use to develop and deploy a travel application. Now, let’s see how much it cost to develop a travel app.

How Much Does It Cost To Develop A Travel App?

It’s time to answer the big question.

“How Much Does It Cost To Develop A Travel App?”

With the rising demand for travel-related applications, there is a lot of travel and tourism business that wants to create their own travel applications.

And the first question that comes to mind is, “What is it going to cost me?”

Well, on average, travel app development cost ranges from $15,000 to $450,000 based on the type of app you are developing, its complexity, and its location.

But if you are looking for a closer estimate, it’s highly recommended that you consult a travel app development company. They will be able to give you a closer insight into development costs based on your project specifications.

With this out of the way, let’s look at some of the top features which can affect the total cost to develop a travel and tourism-related application in the next section.

Factors That Affect Travel App Development Cost

App Development is a very complex and lengthy process. As such, there are various factors involved in the process that can affect the final cost.

In this section of the blog, we shall be discussing these travel app development cost-affecting factors. And with this said, let’s get right into it:

• Complexity

You can develop a simple travel app like a flight tracker or you can create a complex one like a super app for travelling. Now, as you move from simplicity to complexity, the price increases.

This is one of the biggest factors that affect the cost of travel app development.

• Features

As we discussed, features are one of the most important factors affecting travel app development costs.

When you move towards more unique and complex features, they will add to the total cost of development. Whereas, basic features will keep the cost minimal.

This is how, the features you choose to fit in your travel app, affect the total cost of development.

• Mode To Hire Developers

If you want to create a market-leading travel app, you need to hire travel app developers. But the question is, how do you do it?

Well, there is more than one of acquiring a development partner in 2023. And depending on which one of them you choose, the total cost to develop the app also differs.

Let’s look at these below:

• Hire freelancers – $45/per hour – $95/per hour
• Outsource To App Development Company – $25/per hour – $75/per hour
• Assemble in-house – indefinite cost

These are the different factors that affect the total cost of travel app development. And with this, we have come to the end of our blog.

 Convert Your Idea To The Next BEST TRAVEL APP

Do you have an idea for travel app development?

We have the required team, development skills, experience, and innovation required to create the next best travel app in market.

So, if you want to make millions of dollars and lead the industry, reach out to Nimble AppGenie, the best mobile app development company in USA.

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Niketan Sharma

Niketan Sharma is the CTO of Nimble AppGenie, a prominent website and mobile app development company in the USA that is delivering excellence with a commitment to boosting business growth & maximizing customer satisfaction. He is a highly motivated individual who helps SMEs and startups grow in this dynamic market with the latest technology and innovation.