Complete Travel App Development Guide: Features And Costs

Did you know that!

85% of respondents in a survey admitted using a smartphone for travel routes.

60% confirmed using navigation apps.

54% accepted using travel apps for finding good restaurants.

The above stats are from an opera MediaWorks survey with 1000 U.S smartphone users. These results clearly show that mobile apps are worthy in the travel and tourism industry. According to app development stats, the worldwide travel online market size is expected to cross $902.2 billion in 2023.

So, travel app development is a potential niche to bring investments in. If you are planning to build a big-time travel app for your business, you are on the right path at the right time. But you need to carefully choose the business model, features and decide on the budget. For that, you can hire iOS and android app developers as per your desired OS platform.

In this blog, we will provide you with a complete guide on mobile travel app development. Let’s first start with the reasons to go with this business idea if you are still unsure about it.

Why Is Travel App Development A Golden Ticket For Business?

If you want to grab the traveller’s attention towards your brand, you need to be present on smartphones or mobile apps. After all, mobile devices are the new revenue-generating medium in the travel sector. It has been observed that those market players who successfully exploit this opportunity will stay competitive. TripAdvisor, Booking.com and Airbnb are perfect examples of how travel app development can be turned into powerful revenue sources.

Still, need a reason? We have three!

• In 2019, 61% of travellers mostly used a smartphone app to book flights, while 62% say mobile apps are essential to book hotels on travel.
• 52% of travellers want to communicate with a travel brand using text or messaging.
• 92% believed a mobile strategy is essential to their organization’s future success.

So, it is clear that the idea of building a travel app will be profitable for your business only if done diligently and correctly.

How To Develop A Successful Travel App? 7 Must-Have Features

If you want a successful travel app to boost your business, you need to consider the following five features when developing your mobile app.

Feature #1 – Map integration & navigation

Maps are an essential feature for all travel apps. Make sure your map is easy to use, understand and navigate. It provides as much relevant and detailed information as required. There are many geolocation solutions available such as Google Maps API, OpenLayers, Mapbox, Mapfit and many more. So, make sure your app has map integration and navigation functionality.

Feature #2 – Reviews & recommendation

Whether you are a travel agency or a tourism aggregator, providing users with honest reviews & recommendations is a must-have feature for your app’s success. Make sure your app has an option that allows users to leave reviews about restaurants, hotels and other places. It is a good idea if you are using a third-party service for loading genuine reviews. In addition, your app provides users with relevant recommendations as per their preferences.

Feature #3 – Transportation

Imagine you arrive at your desired destination, but you couldn’t find convenient transportation to reach your hotels and restaurants. Then it will ruin your trip and fun. That’s why transportation is a must-have feature for travel apps. It provides users with detailed and up-to-date information about available transportation means to schedule, pricing and other essential details.

Feature #4 – Weather forecasting

Many tourists book their flights in haste without thinking about the consequences of climate changes on their unplanned journey. Travel mobile app development companies such as Appventurez should always integrate a real-time climate or weather forecast to prevent such calamities. Make sure when your travellers are creating their travel itinerary in this app, it alerts them of upcoming weather predictions. AccuWeather is a great example. It allows users to check cloud formation patterns, wind speed, humidity and other factors before planning trips.

Feature #5 – Emergency services

A traveller in a foreign country may get lost or get into some emergency. And they don’t speak the local language and are not even familiar with the place; emergencies can turn into disasters. Providing as much detailed information about emergencies as possible is one of the best ways to avoid these situations. It lets users make emergency calls via an app. In addition, you can help them get insurance and contact insurance companies.

How Does It Cost To Develop A Feature-Rich Travel App?

Developing a travel app for two platforms (Android and iOS) may cost about $103,600. It’s an approximate number based on a $50/h rate. The exact number entirely depends on your needs and expected features. The more hours developers will spend on your mobile app development project, the more it’s going to cost you.

It has been estimated that travel app development for both platforms (consisting of hosts’ part, backend and admin panel) will take 2,072 hours. Apart from this, its total cost relies on your vendor’s country of residence.

Here are some examples with various regions:

• Eastern Europe. $103,600 (based on $50/h)
• Central and Western Europe. $207,200 (based on $100/h)
• USA. $310,800 (based on $150/h)
• Australia. $207,200 (based on $100/h)

The Final Thought!

Hopefully, you have now understood everything about travel mobile app development, from why it is an ample business opportunity, to its features, to its costs. To know more about the suitable model and right tech stacks to develop a successful travel app, you can contact expert developers.