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Travel business is a broad term and it may cover everything — from owning a small hostel to arranging international sea cruises and to running a large travel agency. But no matter what exactly you do, it’s essential to keep up with the needs and expectations of your customers. Otherwise, your company will just lag behind its rivals if survive at all.
Nowadays, more and more people prefer to use online services to plan their trips. And the numbers speak for themselves — according to Statista, online travel sales are expected to generate $817.5 billion by 2020. Hence, if you want to retain existing customers and attract new ones, you need to make it possible for the travelers to search, book and buy everything they need for their trips online.
In this article, we’ll discuss how exactly a travel app can help your tourism Business Grow. But first, let’s talk about Expedia which is a great example of a solution for any company working in this industry.
In short, Expedia is a website that allows travelers to plan and book their trips in just a few clicks. Specifically, with the help of this platform, users can search for flights, hotels and budget-friendly hotel plus flight bundles. On top of that, the website lets travelers rent a car, look for interesting events in different locations and buy tickets for them — everything by tapping just a few buttons.
Besides the web version, Expedia has a mobile app available for both — iOS and Android platforms. The application saves a user’s plans and makes them accessible even when a smartphone isn’t connected to the Internet. And that’s a great feature to consider for anyone who wants to create a travel application since we all know how hard it can be to find spots with WiFi in unfamiliar places.
Expedia also allows users to leave reviews about hotels so other travelers do not buy a pig in a poke. In addition, there are recommendations from experts, as well as city guides so even complete beginner traveler won’t get lost.
Other sites like Expedia are Booking.com, Priceline.com, Kayak.com and Agoda.com.
The net income Expedia received in 2017 constituted $377.9 million so many wonder how it makes money. In general, there are several business models Expedia utilizes.
Basically, these three income sources are common for most online travel agencies (OTA) and websites like Expedia, as well as other types of online businesses operating in the tourism industry. But let’s take a closer look at how the development of a travel application can help you build a travel business.
Building a web or mobile app is always a good idea for travel companies of any kind. Yet, as you may have already guessed, creating a tourism ‘empire’ similar to Expedia costs a lot and takes much time. Fortunately, there are other more cost-effective and less time-consuming ways to make money on a travel application.