How to Develop a Travel App and How Much Does it Cost

It's been over a decade since Apple introduced the App Store in the summer of 2008. This new platform created a digital app ecosystem and marked the beginning of a new era in mobile application development. Today, billions of people worldwide own smartphones and use mobile apps daily, if not hourly.

The Apple App Store now hosts an impressive 1.76 million applications, a significant increase from the 5,000 apps it started in 2008.

Traveling is another essential aspect of modern life, and mobile travel apps rank among the top 10 most downloaded applications for both iOS and Android. However, the travel industry still has many opportunities for growth and innovation through the development of modern travel applications.

You may use our calculator to estimate the approximate cost of app development

1. Arguments for How to Build a Travel App

As we highlighted in our article on the Top 10 Travel Industry Trends, a recent travel and tourism industry analysis shows that 50 percent of online booking operations are now conducted via mobile devices. We believe adapting to a mobile-first world is essential for survival in today's market.

According to Criteo, many people worldwide are eager to travel. Notably, travelers from the APAC region showed the most significant year-on-year increase in air travel bookings compared to other regions. In September 2023, air travel bookings in APAC rose by an impressive 23% compared to the previous year.

Close behind, the Americas reported a strong 15% increase in bookings during the same period. In contrast, the EMEA region saw a more modest 8% rise in flight bookings.

Maximize the potential of travel mobile applications for your business, boost conversions, and enjoy additional benefits.

Despite significant variations in mobile booking behavior due to local preferences, platforms, and user demographics, recent travel app statistics reveal certain patterns that can be leveraged.

People are always on the move, and modern tourists often feel uncertain about finding the best prices and options when using mobile travel and tourism apps.

When developing travel app ideas, ensure you offer users the most relevant data, the best prices, and the ability to compare alternatives in one place. This approach will help you outshine competitors and build brand loyalty. Provide your clients one of the smartest and most useful travel apps available, and you'll win their hearts for good.

In today's modern lifestyle, travelers appreciate the ability to consolidate all journey details and services in one place, simplifying the time-consuming process of trip planning and organization.

You likely already understand that developing a travel mobile app is a worthwhile investment. But how much does it actually cost to build such an app?

Let’s discuss this question in more detail below because the budget of an application development process depends on multiple factors and aspects.

2. What Makes a?Good App?— Functionality

Nowadays, the majority of travelers carry smartphones with them and prefer mobile apps for solving various travel-related tasks, starting with planning a?route and finishing with solving the language barrier problem in?the place of?destination.

Modern web application development trends indicate that users expect multiple benefits from the apps they use. Whether you need a travel agency application or a mobile app for booking holiday hotels, aim to create a one-stop solution for your customers. Integrate car rentals, ticket booking, insurance, and travel-related marketplaces into a single platform, and it will pay off.

It goes without saying that every feature you include affects the cost of building your application. Some features are essential for all travel apps, while others can be added as bonuses.

Let’s deal with the must-haves first.

1. A?personal account with social media authorization and sharing.

This option benefits both the traveler and the app operator. For tourists, it simplifies and speeds up account sign-in and enables them to share memorable experiences and important travel aspects. For the app operator, it serves as an additional promotion, allows access to users' social profiles, and helps build personalized deals for each traveler.

2. Booking and payment options.

Excellent travel apps offer users the convenience of booking with just a click. With a few taps, users can select the desired flight and accommodation and book them instantly. Providing secure payment options to facilitate transactions will enhance your app's rating.

3. Geolocation and Navigation.

When travelers reach their destination, they feel more comfortable if they can quickly locate their current position and find directions to their next stop—be it a hotel, café, bus stop, or any other location. Although implementing this feature will increase your custom application development cost, including a map with routing and navigation capabilities is highly recommended.

4. Search and Filters Option.

Whether limited to transportation and accommodation options or expanded to include popular spots and attractions, a user-friendly search tool will undoubtedly enhance the value of your travel application.

5. Reviews with rating option.

Today, people trust other travelers' experiences more than formal information about hotels, restaurants, cafes, or other spots. By implementing a feature that allows users to share their experiences and review the places they visit, you can increase awareness of your service and make improvements as needed.

Enhance your application development by offering additional bonuses for your customers. Include regularly updated weather forecasts for holiday destinations, provide information about popular dining establishments featuring local cuisines, and highlight the best shopping spots to create a unified travel experience for your users.

Providing real-time updates and alerts about special offers and discount deals is also great. Many additional features can enhance the user experience, from synchronizing travel plans with the mobile calendar to including a language translator and offline access. Offline access, in particular, can be essential for travelers unfamiliar with a specific area.

However, you should choose features based on your users' typical behavior and preferences, as well as your business needs and available budget.

3. Estimations – Time and Money

We believe we've partially answered your question, "What do I need to build an app?" Now, let's explore the average development time required and address the initial question, "How much does an app cost?"

On average, you will have to pay between 30.000 and 40.000 US dollars for the minimum set of features, and it will take at least 3?months to?develop such an?app.

If you need the design created, you should add one more month to?your time estimations.

The final cost of?your application is?driven by?a?number of?essential factors, read about them further.

4. Factors Influencing the Cost

1. Features and their complexity.

The time required for application development depends on the functions you want to implement and their complexity. These factors, in turn, determine the size of the development team and the number of man-hours needed.

First, define the project scope and answer key questions, such as how many features need to be implemented and whether an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) development is needed or if the app should be built in its entirety from the start.

Keep in?mind that serious features require special expertise or?the use of cutting-edge technologies, making them rather expensive. AR elements, voice recognition, animation, and real-time synchronization can be referred to here.

2. Platform.

Remember that developing a native travel app for iOS or Android requires more time and a greater investment. However, the quality of the end product is typically higher. Although Android applications take more time and may consequently cost more to develop than iOS apps, the Android platform is three times more popular and widely used. Therefore, starting with Android is advisable if you're first uncertain about which app to develop.

3. Method of authorization.

Many mobile applications require users to sign in, and implementing social media logins has become a standard practice. This method is reliable and beneficial for the app operator, allowing automatic profile creation and paving the way for future personalization. While developing a user login system is not technically difficult, it can be time-consuming and thus impacts the overall cost of your application.

It's also important to consider that mobile app users don't always have internet access. When a device is offline, the app may be unable to identify users. Therefore, you might want to consider incorporating an offline authentication option for your app.

To enhance security, you can implement dual-factor authentication, where users must enter a code received via a phone call or message when attempting to log in.

Biometric authentication, such as fingerprint or retina scans, is a more advanced and costly method to consider. It requires specialized expertise and consequently involves higher investments.

4. Integration.

It?is?also important to presuppose that API exposes information and gives your travel app access to?various data slices.

Integrating a mobile application is a challenge every mobile developer must tackle. Developers need to adapt the existing infrastructure of a website or service to the new mobile delivery channel while minimizing changes to the back-end infrastructure. This process is resource-intensive and time-consuming due to the numerous QA and release cycles involved.

Besides, the more data sources you add, the more engineering effort is required for integration purposes, and consequently, the cost increases.

5. Real Time Synchronization.

In today's fast-paced world, prompt real-time actions are essential in many aspects of life. Consequently, real-time synchronization has become a crucial aspect of mobile app development. The quicker information is received, the faster it can be processed, enabling users to take timely actions. Real-time synchronization now facilitates meaningful actions and better decision-making at the right moment.

With real-time synchronization, users can quickly act on notifications about special offers, book flights at the lowest prices, pinpoint their location, navigate unfamiliar areas, and instantly send messages to friends and family.

Specific contemporary solutions and technologies allow you to stream data easily to multiple clients. However, depending on the purpose of the real-time synchronization, it can take additional effort, time, and, consequently, client money to implement it into the travel app.

Our Experience

MeinFernbus

MeinFernbus is a leading provider of passenger coach transportation services in Germany. In 2015, It strengthened its position as the top player by merging with another company.

Our team created the initial version of the Android app. The MeinFernbus team handled subsequent development, encompassing implementing the local payment system, developing subsequent app versions, and crafting the iOS app.

Although we were not directly involved in the later stages, we are excited to share our contributions to the project and genuinely appreciate the opportunity and experience gained through our collaboration with MeinFernbus.

The Hump

Stfalcon's mission was to develop a service solution tailored to the needs of frequent air travelers, whether for leisure or business purposes.

The primary objective of this service was to streamline and expedite all aspects related to baggage, from its delivery to the airport to the issuance of a boarding pass and baggage tag, ultimately saving travelers valuable time.

Some common questions about travel and tourism app development and their answers are here.

FAQ

What are the essential features that every travel app should have?

Travel app development should encompass creating a user-friendly interface for searching and booking flights, hotels, and rental cars. Robust search and filtering capabilities are essential, allowing users to discover flights, hotels, attractions, and more based on their preferences. User accounts with social media integration facilitate easy sign-in and experience sharing. Maps and navigation features help users find their way around. Secure payment gateways and user profiles for storing travel preferences and history are also crucial. Lastly, review and rating systems enable users to share feedback and make informed decisions. These core features create a comprehensive solution that meets the needs of modern travelers.

How long does it typically take to develop a travel app?

The development time for a travel app can vary based on its complexity and the features included. An essential app with core functionalities like flight and hotel booking might take 3–6 months. However, creating a travel app with advanced features such as AI-powered recommendations, itinerary sharing, or multilingual support could take 6–12 months or longer.

What are the most popular technology stacks used for travel app development?

Standard technology stacks for tourism app development include React Native or Flutter for cross-platform mobile apps and Java or Swift for native Android or iOS apps, respectively. On the backend, popular frameworks include Node.js, Ruby on Rails, or Django, often paired with databases like MongoDB or PostgreSQL.

What key factors influence the cost of developing a travel app?

The primary cost factors include the app's complexity and features, the development team's expertise and location, the need for third-party integrations (e.g., payment gateways, mapping APIs), design and UI/UX requirements, and ongoing maintenance and updates. Consider the features you want to include in your travel app and budget accordingly.

How can I reduce the development costs for my travel app?

To reduce travel app development costs, consider starting with an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) that includes core features and then gradually add more functionality. Outsourcing to experienced developers in cost-effective regions can also help. Utilizing open-source technologies and pre-built components can save time and money. Lastly, plan for regular maintenance and updates to keep long-term costs manageable.

Conclusion

We are sure you have a clearer vision of the innovative travel app you want to develop by now. Although it may be a time-consuming and costly undertaking, it has obvious advantages in?the modern world.

We?are happy to?offer our experience if you want a top mobile application development company to create a travel app. It’s not just immodesty. Stfalcon.com has been listed first among the best lifestyle and travel mobile application developers by?Clutch.co, and we?deserve?it.

We?always start by carefully investigating the modern market, the newest mobile app development trends, the client’s business with its requirements, the target audience, and the current user experience and expectations. These combined factors allow us to provide our customers with state-of-the-art travel and hospitality solutions. Contact us, and our dedicated team will gladly help you.

Our latest whitepaper analyzes the main areas to consider for innovations within the travel industry and aims to help you set the right investment priorities. Download our whitepaper, “Travel Industry: Where to Invest,” and ensure you can always expand and integrate your service, product, or solution later.

Originally published at Stfalcon.com

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