5 Profitable & Demanding Travel App Ideas & Features

Table of Contents - 

• Introduction 
• How Building an App Could Be Beneficial for Your Travel Business?
• What Features Would Make Your Travel App more demanding?
  • Search and book on the go 
  • Planning travel itinerary with trip organizer 
  • Added services for a better travel experience 
  • Reviews and recommendations 
  • AR-guided tours for solo travelers 
• How Much Should You Invest On Travel App Development? 
  • Extent of features 
  • Location of development 
  • UI/UX proficiency 
  • Mobile app development help 
• How Much Time Does It Require To Develop An App for The Travel Industry? 
• Best Travel App Ideas Businesses Could Use Any Day 
  • Online rail and air ticket booking apps for ease 
  • Accommodation booking apps for travelers 
  • Full-fledged online travel agency 
  • Trip planning apps for organized travelers 
  • Offer the best deal with travel comparison apps 
• What’s The Next Step? 
• Conclusion 

Introduction 

One of the reports presented by Statista mentions that as of June 2021, the number of smartphone users across the globe has already surpassed the 6 Billion mark and is projected to reach 7.5 billion by 2026. 

Today, almost every individual has access to smartphones. And did you know that about 88% of their time is spent on using mobile applications that include gaming apps, social networking apps, travel apps, education apps, food apps, and more?

While mobile apps are so in demand, no industry can ignore them and choose not to invest in them. And if you are wondering if developing travel apps could be beneficial or not, let us tell you that it is amongst the most desirable app categories for both iOS and Android.  

So, are you a startup willing to build your very first travel app? Or, an SME travel agency or enterprise willing to reign in the travel industry? 

In either case, this is the list for you to check out! Get ideas on what’s trending and on-demand in travel app development and build an ultimate travel app with exclusive features that can give you the upper hand in this competitive landscape. 

How Building an App Could Be Beneficial for Your Travel Business? 

Mobile apps are nothing but convenience brought to you for all your travel needs and we all can unanimously agree on it. Now, whether you are an enterprise or a startup, you might wonder if it is really an effective move to build a travel app for your business? And the answer is a big yes! 

Since you are looking for business ideas, we assume you are already aware of these benefits, But, in case you aren’t, you can easily find out these reasons why your business must need a travel app here below. 

• All your bookings, queries, complaints, etc. can be carried out from a single online travel portal. This calls for less hassle! 
• You don’t have to handle huge paperwork as everything will be performed digitally. 
• No extra time to attend to each customer at a brick-and-mortar office in the travel industry. Instead, you can build a robust online travel app that allows users to customize their search and book trips, travel, and accommodation at their convenience. 
• You can provide better support services by the inclusion of AI-powered chatbots and automating the entire process. 
• Marketing your online travel app is a lot easier, fruitful, and cost-efficient. 

These are a few benefits that businesses can clearly leverage by investing in a travel app. 

Considering building your very first online travel app? 

Here’s your chance to grab a cost-saving deal. Contact us now! 

What Features Would Make Your Travel App More Demanding?

There are plenty of successful online travel companies found locally and globally like Airbnb, Expedia, Booking Holdings, Trivago, Makemytrip, Goibibo, etc. And for your travel industry business to stand out and compete with such pioneers, you need to inculcate unique, useful, and advanced features. 

Want to make a desirable and demanding online travel app? 

Well, these features mentioned below can help you with that. 

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• Search and book on the go 

This is the most basic yet desirable feature that you must include in your travel app. Users should be able to search for one-way or round trips to and fro from a location or look for accommodations nearby. 

While most online travel apps provide this facility to users, you should focus on strengthening the mobile app development process you adopt. Make sure the portal is easy to use, has an impressive UI, works fast, and provides users with customization options and search filters. 

• Planning travel itinerary with trip organizer 

As much as we want a travel app that allows us to book tickets and accommodations, there is still a dearth of applications that allow users to organize the entire tour. You can ask your mobile app development firm to develop the software in a way that allows users to plan their travel itinerary seamlessly. 

For instance, if one is traveling from Rome to Venice, they should be able to search for nearby transport facilities and their timing, find and plan tourist attractions based on their distance from your location and timing, set reminders, create schedules, store notes, and keep track of their tickets and bookings. 

You can include these small features in your travel app and create a robust and impressive trip organizer for your target audience. Need to know how you can integrate such features into your online travel app? Connect to our team today! 

• Added services for a better travel experience 

Besides the primary services of booking travel and accommodation or a package tour, a travel app should provide more to the travelers to keep them invested. The various added features mentioned below can be of great help in this context.

• Navigation to help tourists find accurate locations throughout their tours. 
• A translation feature to help users communicate in a foreign language. 
• Weather forecasts for a better online travel experience. 
• Easy social media sharing by integrating your preferred portal to the online travel app. 
• Travel agencies can also make use of VR or virtual reality to promote certain travel destinations and present users with a demo. 

• Reviews and recommendations 

Amongst the best features you can add to your travel app today, including rating and reviews are a must and quite beneficial. It can help sufficiently in the online promotion of your travel application. 

Besides allowing reviews for your app on app stores and search engines, you should also enable users to rate and review hotels and inns, air travel experiences, and package trips. It can help other fellow travelers to assess the pros and cons and decide which product or service is suitable for them. 

• AR-guided tours for solo travelers 

Augmented reality has huge demand in the travel industry as it can change the traditional ways of traveling. In case you find the information provided by tour guides too overwhelming and would rather prefer to cross-check the information, self-guided tours powered by AR can be of immense help. 

Many online travel businesses are now investing in AR-guided tours so customers can take a virtual stroll at their preferred destinations even while sitting at home. They can get all the related information on their screen when they point to an object or place. 

Adding such features to your online travel app will not only benefit the customer’s experience but will help your business with an improved conversion rate. 

Nevertheless, adding such extensive features isn’t a piece of cake and can only be done if you have the right mobile app development help. 

Want to know how you can implement those features on your travel app without affecting its UI or UX? It’s time to find out! 

How Much Should You Invest On Travel App Development? 

Businesses often ask “what will be the cost of travel app development?” or “how much is okay to spend on development?”. 

To develop a single platform Android or iOS travel app, the development cost could vary between $15,000 to $55,000. However, there is no fixed amount and it can vary based on the numerous factors mentioned below.

• Extent of features 

The more advanced features you ask the mobile app development team to add, the more will be the development cost.

• Location of development 

The hourly rate of developers may vary depending on the location of the development. For instance, hiring developers from the USA might cost you more than hiring developers from India because of the huge difference in their hourly rates.

• Platform and design dependencies

The design proficiency of your online travel app, the themes you choose, and the development platforms also influence the cost of development. While some themes and APIs come free of cost, other advanced ones might come at a hefty price.

• Mobile app development help

If you want your business to stand apart from the crowd, you need to strengthen your mobile app development strategy and build a robust app. In this regard, the team or independent developers and designers you hire can influence the development cost.

While freelancers or independent developers may charge you somewhat less, the development approach won’t be as professional when you hire a professional agency for the job.

Now, for the question “How much should you invest in building an app for the travel industry”, you need to weigh the end result with the cost and determine if it is worth the money.

Besides, you should always choose skilled professionals with plenty of development experience for the job so you get the project done within its due time. And make sure to write an agreement about the expectations and results of both parties to avoid any future conflicts.

How Much Time Does It Require To Develop An App For The Travel Industry? 

As you already know that a mobile app is much more useful for your brand than you imagine. But, what’s more important is that you get it developed within the stipulated time and start your business venture.

So, how much time does it usually take?

Typically, it can take a month’s time to 3-4 months for you to develop a full-fledged online travel app. But again, that depends on the mobile app development team you hire. If they are skilled and experienced enough and have the right project management tricks up their sleeves, they may complete your project before the deadline.

However, if you end up hiring a freelancer or independent developer, the development time may increase as he/she will work alone on that project. So, choose whom to hire as per the time you have in hand.

Besides, the nature of the project, its complexity, and the technologies used could also affect the time taken to build a travel app.

Need to complete your travel app development project ASAP? Connect to our team and we shall help you with that. 

Best Travel App Ideas For Your Travel Business

Today, we have mobile apps for almost everything and no industry is untouched by its involvement. In such a scenario, you might wonder what could be the best travel app idea for your business that can convert efficiently. 

Luckily, we have put together a list containing some great ideas that can help grow your business in the travel industry. Have a look at these! 

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• Online rail and air ticket booking apps for ease 

This kind of travel portal helps travelers to search for flight and rail tickets between varied destinations and book tickets conveniently. However, there are plenty of big names already in the market who are providing this service. 

So, make sure to adopt a robust mobile app development plan with distinct olfeatures as mentioned earlier. It can surely help you establish a popular app in the travel industry. 

• Accommodation booking apps for travelers 

Travelers search for accommodations beforehand just to be sure they have a safe and comfortable stay. You can think out of the box and include options that other online travel agencies aren’t yet providing. 

For instance, if you can upload 3D views of the hotel or resort or arrange a virtual tour (that are still new technologies in the market) for customers that could help them make a better choice. And the unique approach is likely to help your business efficiently. 

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• Full-fledged online travel apps (OTA) 

If you are planning to start a full-fledged online travel app and have the budget for it, you might consider providing package tour services. Not everyone is comfortable traveling alone to unknown destinations with no pre-bookings. Besides, some people just don’t want to take the hassle of booking accommodation, flights, trains, and everything separately. Thus, comes the need for a tour package.   

While there are several travel portals available that manage such tours, there’s always a need for more who can provide exemplary services at a cost-efficient rate and utmost safety. In this case, you have to up your mobile app development game and include varied features so that travelers can get these services readily. 

If you are sure you can arrange for such services while still earning your fair share of profit, then this could be your best shot. 

• Trip planning apps for organized travelers 

When one is looking for the best latest travel apps, he/she might give preference to apps that allow travel and accommodation bookings. But, trip-planning apps are gaining much recognition in recent years. 

For backpack travelers, this could be like their travel itinerary. They can plan their trips, and mark the next destination from the previous ones, find routes, write notes, look into the nearby places, go by schedule, set reminders, store their travel tickets and other important documents, and much more. With some virtual tie-ups and a little investment,  businesses can easily get this developed for users.

• Offer the best deal with travel comparison apps 

If you are not into arranging tours and various travel bookings yourself and still want to create an app catering to the travel industry, travel comparison apps are for you. Here, you can show information and costs from the various travel and accommodation booking apps and allow customers to choose the best deal. 

They can apply filters and customize their search and choose the best deal available on the internet. You will be redirected to another page where you can fill up the required information and process the transaction seamlessly. 

Such travel comparison apps are of great help as travelers don’t have to search from one place to another. And if you can build a good reputation for your online travel brand, you can gain many more loyal customers. 

What’s The Next Step? 

If you have already chosen the most suitable idea to build a travel app? What’s next for you? Can you just build an app, publish it in the Play Store or App Store and leave it as it is? 

If you do so, that could be your biggest downfall. You need to constantly evaluate the market demands, competition, and challenges to innovate and bring new features that your fellow customers would appreciate. 

While constant updates for bug fixes and new features are a must, online travel agencies also have to invest in promoting their online travel app in the best possible way. They can make use of various online marketing tools and tactics and promote their app. 

But, before you do all of these, you need to ensure two things - 

1. You must have a robust monetization plan in place so you can generate sufficient revenue from your online travel app. 
2. You should first look for various investment opportunities to fund your app idea like investment using savings, angel funding, incubator program, VC funding, etc. 

Now that you are aware of what’s the next step you should take in this venture, make sure to choose the right mobile app development team that can help you. We, at Auxesis Infotech, are well-equipped to help you in this pursuit with the years of experience we have in developing futuristic travel apps. Connect to our team and learn more about the process! 

Conclusion 

Travel apps can bring more convenience and comfort to the life of users and help your travel business grow. However, cracking the right idea that is high on demand and yet profitable could be a challenge for businesses. 

Thus, we have this article ready for you where you can find the various promising travel app ideas in addition to the effective features. Make sure to choose the business idea that resonates the most with your brand and you can make a name for yourself in the travel industry. 

Once you have chosen a suitable idea, make sure to ask the mobile app development team to include the most promising features and build a feature-rich online travel app.