Last Updated: January 19, 2024
How to Build a Travel App Like TripAdvisor: A Step-by-Step Guide
Published On: March 01, 2023

Hundreds of businesses in the travel and tourism sector include hotels, restaurants, and tour operators. The proliferation of Travel apps that may be used throughout a trip has also helped to quiet the travel hubbub. A Trip planner app has made it easier than ever for people to arrange journeys and see the globe. Let’s go with How to Build a Travel App Like TripAdvisor.

Remember that there was once a period when planning your travel required great bravery. There were tour operators available for the remainder.

As communication and transport technologies have improved, the globe has become more accessible. As a result, the trip itself loses some of its significance. There is no longer any distance between the places you want to go, the hotels you want to stay in, or the cuisines you want to try since they are only a few clicks away on your smartphone. There’s now a Trip planner app to meet the requirements of every possible vacation scenario.

If you want to develop a successful Travel app, you are on the right track. There is a lot of competition in the market for travel apps, but it is still a promising area to put money into.

TripAdvisor has over 6.6 million registered lodgings, eateries, and attractions, driving over $546 Billion in worldwide visitor expenditure. With more than 385 million reviews and over two dozen websites, it is the biggest travel community on the web, serving 350 million monthly users. Correctly said. You can organize the ideal holiday with the help of TripAdvisor, your ultimate travel companion.

It provides information about hotels, restaurants, excursions, and activities in the immediate area. Each is conveniently marked on maps for easy access. You can quickly locate and reserve must-see attractions, get a table at a popular restaurant, and locate easily accessible tourist hotspots.

Let’s check what market trends say about the Travelling app and the industry.

Market Research and Analysis

There was a 46% drop from 2019’s $755 billion to 2020s $403 billion for online reservations of vacations and business trips. Although this is still lower than 2019’s numbers, the swift comeback demonstrates the audience’s interest in this service segment. As a result of COVID-19 leaving, expansion should continue.

In addition, by 2026, internet sales will account for 73% of the industry’s income in the travel and tourism industry. During the last five years, mobile travel sales have surged from 36% to over 50% of all digital travel sales, making it a pivotal time in the history of this industry. What more proof could you possibly want?

Picking the right travel app, settling on a viable business strategy, and determining how much an initial working version of the app would cost are all crucial steps on the road to app success.

This is when the Travelling apps are most helpful. There are many facets to developing a travel app, and we cover them all here.

Well, so let’s get going.

The mobile device used to make travel bookings was 31% in 2019 and rose to 37% in 2020. The mobile travel booking rate jumped to 41% in 2021. That shows the rise of Travelling apps.

But still, what’s the Point of Creating a travel app like TripAdvisor?

Let’s have a look at the numbers before I answer this question. Apps are more popular today than they were five years ago, according to Statista. By 2021, it’s predicted that the Google Play Store will have seen 196 billion app downloads.

At present, travel businesses are capitalizing on this trend and making a killing. Isn’t it time, therefore, for you to build your Trip Planner app if you own an offline travel agency?

But when it comes to building a TripAdvisor look-alike app, there are n number of questions, such as how much does it costs to develop a travel app, the key features to focus on, etc.

And that is why we have prepared a detailed Step-by-Step Guide on How to Build a Travel App Like TripAdvisor.

Design and Features

While designing a travel app, it’s helpful to put yourself in the shoes of a typical traveler. Most travel itineraries are routine. In this manner, you will learn the ins and outs of developing a fully working travel app.

Thus, if you want to know what it takes to create a successful app for booking trips, look at some of the elements listed below.

How much you can expand your app is directly related to your budget. This ensures the viability of your app and provides users with access to any supplemental materials.

As you add more functionality to your app, consumers won’t need to look for another one to install.

Setting up an Account

Start here since it is required reading for all users. Without this function, reservations can’t be made.

Support users’ favorite social networks if you want to make their lives easier. It allows users to bypass the need to create and remember a new login ID and password by connecting their social network accounts directly to the service.

Detailed Listing Information

Creating a helpful travel app without giving full listing details is impossible. Accommodations, transportation options, and other logistics are all included in the listing. If, when searching for a hotel, a user finds one that seems to meet all of his needs, he is likely to continue looking at the other hotels shown on his screen.

The hotel’s images, availability calendar, description, rules, cancellation policies, and contact information should all be included. Your users will be more than pleased with the additional details provided. They will likely make an immediate reservation using your app.

Time Conversion

A user preparing for an overseas vacation could get confused by the transitions between time zones. You can keep users from downloading competing global clock applications on their devices by including this simple time converter inside your app.

One example of this software is Time Buddy, which displays the right time in every time zone worldwide.

The weather reports

If inclement weather is expected, your user may need to reschedule or cancel their trip. Most travel app producers now include real-time weather predictions to avoid potential problems.

Users may check the latest weather forecasts without interrupting their trip preparations.

Filter & Search

Another crucial function of the app is the ability to search for a particular lodging option, method of transportation, preferred lodging, budget, and travel dates. Based on the user’s query, more recommendations may be provided.

Users can narrow their results by many criteria, such as price range, number of nights spent at a hotel, travel class, and date range.

Contact via Chatbots

You can’t provide phone support for your app’s users. Chatbots are a cutting-edge addition to most modern travel apps since they allow users to bypass this time-consuming process.

By interacting with the chatbots, your users can find immediate resolutions to their problems. Chatbots are nothing new for those in the know regarding technology, but the general public is still learning about them. Because of this, your chatbots must answer all of the consumers’ questions and address their concerns.

Intermarry and Previous Trips or Reservations

The functionality of your travel app will be lacking until customers can see their reservation history. Since the user may wish to make the same reservation repeatedly, this is a crucial function.

The user’s itinerary, including all hotel stays and flights, should be shown in your app’s booking history section.

It is well-known that user evaluations and comments help develop a better program. It’s an excellent addition to your app and will aid those just starting it.

Payment Details

A user must make a simultaneous payment and booking for any service. You should implement a payment gateway system like Braintree or Stripe to improve the customer’s experience throughout the checkout process.

Put another way; this streamlines the process so customers may pay without any additional difficulty. Users will manually enter their banking information, but you must provide a page for them to do so.

Also Read: The Most Cringe-Worthy Fact About Travel and Tourism App Development

Customer Reviews and Feedback

When a customer has completed a booking and made the payment, a brief feedback survey might ask for their feedback, if the customer has the luxury of time and enjoys using your app, they will almost certainly give it five stars and write a glowing review.

Development

Once you have identified the key feature to develop a TripAdvisor look-alike app, it’s time to understand the development phase.

The moment has come to implement your discoveries. Find an established firm specializing in the creation of a Travelling app using information like:

  • Specialization in a fundamental field
  • Past work as an application development firm for the hotel and tourism industries
  • Methodology for Project
  • Samples of their work as well as reviews and ratings from previous customers
  • The price breakdown
  • Post-release assistance

Choosing the right platform and technology stack

The convenience and speed with which modern technology allows travel applications to load and operate are undeniable.

The most common languages used while developing an iOS travel app are Swift and Objective-C. Engineers working on Android may use either Kotlin or Java.

Moreover, no software can function without external resources and connections.

This is a sample of a project’s development stack – Custom software development stack (iOS, Android, web):

Platform/Languages: Swift, Objective C, Kotlin, Java, Flutter, React Native

Libraries:  SwiftyStoreKit, AWSS3,  RetroFit, Glide, Volley, Picasso,  React Native Paper, Teaset 

Database: MySql, MongoDB, SQL, Postgres SQL

Architecture: MVC, MVVM, MVP,  BloC Pattern, Getx 

Tools: Xcode, Android Studio, Adobe Xd, Figma, Visual Studio 

3-rd party services

  •       Facebook
  •       Google Sign-in
  •       Google Maps API

Release

  •       AWS
  •       App Store
  •       Google Play

Still, remember that any set of technologies always depends on your project and business requirements.

Launch and Marketing

Once the travel app is developed, it’s time to launch and market. Let’s go through each step of these procedures so that you can figure out how to advance your cause effectively.

We have created a thorough list of promotional methods for your new travel application. Let’s go through each step of these procedures so that you can figure out how to advance your cause effectively.

Using Support of Localization

Localization is now an absolute must in the contemporary world. Nowadays, people are more drawn to services based on their current location. Regarding travel applications, things have progressed beyond simple maps and navigation programs.

You need to link your consumers with the most exciting spots in specific locations and provide them with all the information they could need before they arrive.

Users who download your app should be able to get recommendations on where to eat or stay based on user evaluations. Moreover, user preferences must be taken into account.

For a user to have a good time while using your app, you need to be able to tailor their experience to their preferences. Consider meeting their expectations by including an intuitive interface or regular content updates.

Use of Incentives

To encourage recurrent app usage, implement a loyalty program for your customers or provide them with another kind of incentive. Customers that take extended trips each year will only require the service once per year, so don’t make them wait that long.

Remembering this when developing marketing methods to keep people around, such as providing bonuses for repeat visits, is essential. We must analyze our customers’ use patterns and consider what drives them to use our product, specifically among similar travel applications.

Using User Information

Information is the lifeblood of app owners. Much more so for consumers! Use this to your advantage by collecting as much information as possible about your users; avoid asking too many questions at the outset, but do store preferences and gradually construct profiles when appropriate.

This way, you may tailor your content to each individual’s needs. When your app assists users in resolving issues that might otherwise make their lives more complex, such as airline delays, lengthy queues at different sites, etc., they will be very grateful.

We recommend using in-app messages and push alerts to help you get there faster.

Using the Power of Social Media

In the travel business, it’s all about giving and receiving. When meeting other adventure-seekers, travelers enjoy sharing stories and photos from their travels on social media.

Get your travel app out there by participating in relevant conversations on social media and sharing content that will persuade users to download your app. Increase the number of people who use your travel app by using an exciting tone of voice in your conversations with them.

It will be easier than ever for consumers to obtain everything they need for their next journey from a single location, which is wonderful for the marketing of your app.

Sharing the history of your app on social media is another option. Inviting people to share adventure highlights on your social media pages is a great way to build engagement and attract new users.

You can’t afford to ignore social media and YouTube advertising. It would help if you had a great plan to attract people to your website and keep them returning for more.

Maintenance and Support

Building a travel app and having it on Playstore and AppStore is insufficient. You must ensure that the app is regularly updated and maintained because it takes a few seconds for users to judge the entire business based on its behavior.

Customers won’t come back again if the app is not getting regularly updated or you are not adding new features.

To do that, you must monitor app performance and analytics. Also, it would help if you worked on providing customer support and addressing their feedback and complaints.

Your customer services are equally important as your App’s UI.

How Much Does It Cost To Develop a Travel App?

The cost of developing a travel app can vary widely depending on several factors such as the app’s complexity, the platform(s) it will be developed for, the features and functionality you want to include, and the development team’s location and expertise.

A simple travel app with basic features may cost around $8,000-$15,000, while a more complex app with advanced features and custom designs could cost upwards of $25,000 or more.

Conclusion | Travel App Like TripAdvisor

The convenience of having all one’s travel needs met with a single tap has piqued the public’s interest in travel apps. It’s expected that demand will become much higher in the days ahead. More and more travel technology companies are investing in these platforms to take advantage of this growing market.

To that end, are you prepared to go headfirst into creating your unicorn travel app? Depending on your needs, a travel app development firm like ours may assist you in developing the most beneficial mobile trip planner app possible. Connect with our best custom mobile development team at Moon Technolabs today!

So, that was it from our end for building the Travelling app.

Here is the Summary of key steps to creating a travel app like TripAdvisor

  •       Focus on the Key Features of the App
  •       Have an intuitive UI
  •       Get the development and Testing Phase right
  •       Get the right strategy to market the app
  •       Regularly update & maintain the App

FAQs

Places Been is an application that keeps track of the nations, states, cities, and other locations you've been to throughout your travels. "Places Been" is a trip tracker application that enables you to search and mark visited locations as quickly as putting pins on a map.

In 2016, Google released a new mobile app to aid the organization and travel preparation. The Google Trips app, available for iOS and Android devices, uses a mix of information from Google Maps and user-submitted tips to provide a customized travel planner that may help you keep track of anything from day excursions to hotel bookings to sightseeing itineraries and restaurant recommendations.

Several variables contribute to the expense of producing an app similar to TripAdvisor. These are the crucial factors: · Features you need · App Designing · 3rd Party Integrations · Developers' locations · Utilized Technology

This is not an exhaustive list of requirements for a travel app. Whether to create a full-featured travel app or a standalone app with a single function is entirely up to you. But, you should be aware of the fact that there are many additional possibilities, such as: · Help in finding local emergency assistance. · Locator for wireless networks. · Locator of nearby restrooms. · Exchange rate calculator. · Translator
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Jayanti Katariya

Jayanti Katariya is the CEO of Moon Technolabs, a fast-growing IT solutions provider, with 18+ years of experience in the industry. Passionate about developing creative apps from a young age, he pursued an engineering degree to further this interest. Under his leadership, Moon Technolabs has helped numerous brands establish their online presence and he has also launched an invoicing software that assists businesses to streamline their financial operations.

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