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Travel App Development- Understanding the Benefits, Features and Costs

Travel App Development: Understanding the Benefits, Features and Costs

Many years ago, people had to rely on travel agencies and tour operators to plan a trip. Now, all the planning and arrangements can be done single-handedly using travel mobile apps. 

Through this article, we aim to enlighten travel and tourism based companies about developing travel apps – why it is beneficial, the important features to be incorporated, and finally, the cost.

So, let’s start.

Benefits of Developing a Travel App 

Be it booking flight/rail/bus tickets or cabs, reservation of hotel rooms, knowing the real-time weather conditions of a destination or finding the local tourist attractions and the routes – a travel app gets all these tasks covered. 

For a customer, travel apps are convenient as all the bookings can be done in one go; in simple online transactions, without any paperwork.  Moreover, travel apps also provide comprehensive details about a tourist destination – its cultural heritage, geography, places to visit, etc.; which means, instant information for an aspiring traveler.

 


For tour companies, travel apps serve as a platform to boost their business and connect closely with customers. 

Through the app, they can provide exclusive promotional offers and discounts to customers and also help them with their tour planning, by giving suggestions and instant updates

These strategies promote customer loyalty and improve brand awareness among potential customers.

Main Features a Travel App Should Have

The diverse features of a travel app define its uniqueness and gives it a strong identity in the competitive market. These guide the user at every stage of travel preparation and also during the journey.

Let’s first check out the essential features required in the app.

1.Signup/Login form – to enable users to do bookings and chat with customer support. A combination of email/phone number and password, and also social media can be made the norms for logging in.

2. Search Fields & Filters – to get precise information about tourist destinations, hotels, sightseeing locations, etc.

3. 24×7 Customer Support – to help users, in case, if they have any travel-related queries. A simple chatbox is enough.

4. Maps and Navigation – to get the routes clear and not get lost in unknown places. Google Maps SDK for Android and iOS can be implemented.

5. In-app Booking – to book travel tickets, hotel rooms, cabs and other travel-related services, including event tickets. 

For this, a secured payment gateway can be integrated. To know how it is done, click here.

6. Reviews and Recommendations – to let users read the reviews about places, hotels, restaurants, cafes, etc. Users can also post feedback about their trip.

7. Push Notifications – to improve customer experience by announcing discounts, offers, deals and also, personalized reminders for uncompleted tasks.

 


The
value-added features listed below can be added later into the app:

8. Itinerary Generator – will help users to plan their journey; users need to just enter their preferred destination and the app will design a travel plan.

9. Weather and Climate Forecasting – to get accurate weather and climate updates of a place. For this, APIs like OpenWeatherMap and AccuWeather can be integrated.

10. Language Translator – to understand and communicate in local language; will be helpful for international trips.

11. Currency Converter  – to know the prices of items/services and the currency exchange rate in a foreign country that a traveler is visiting.

12. World Clock Time Converter  – to know the exact clock times of countries situated in different time zones.

13. Washroom Finder – to locate washrooms/restrooms  based on the user’s location.

14. Location-Based Emergency Services – to tackle emergency situations encountered in foreign lands.

The Cost of Travel App Development 

Now comes the golden question – What is the total cost of developing a travel app? Well, it depends on certain factors. Some of them are mentioned below:

  • The number of features and functionalities to be incorporated.
  • The platforms targeted – iOS and/or Android
  • Type of app development – native or cross-platform
  • Geographic location of offshore vendor (if you are opting for offshore development)
  • Complexity of the app – integrating emerging technologies like AR, VR and ML.
  • Utilization of third-party services, mainly for APIs.

Although the exact cost of building a travel app cannot be accurately determined, it won’t be wrong to say that travel app development needs a reasonable investment. 

Conclusion

The travel and tourism industry is slowly limping back to normalcy following the COVID-19 pandemic, and with the changing times, travel apps can be modified to include up-to-date information like airport quarantine regulations, public transport status, location of testing centres, etc.

So, embark on a new journey and catapult your travel business to new heights by hiring a proficient travel app development company.

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Over a decade, we’ve assisted 250+ companies in delivering more than 350+projects. Contact us today at the Scalans office number or you may use online contact form.

I worked with Scalans on two major web app rebranding projects, both were highly customized. Both sites turned out great, they kept up to date and stayed on deadlines. I would recommend Scalans for anyone doing upgrade that has a clear path of what they want and need.
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Ben Holsen
Sr Program Director, Tech Mahindra, USA

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