Technology is a great enabler, and nowhere will you find this statement truer than in the tourism industry.
Earlier, traveling to a new place was like stepping into the unknown.
The information was scarce and whatever was available was at best patchy.
People had to rely on travel agents to make their journey and stay hassle-free.
However, with the advent of travel apps, the situation has changed completely.
To give you a broad idea about this change, you can refer to the research done by the eMarketer.
It is about the impact of Smartphone usage in the travel industry.
The following findings will give you an astonishing picture of the impact of the mobile app on the sector.
- A travel app is the 7th most downloaded app in all categories.
- 60% of Smartphone users use travel apps whenever they are planning a trip.
- Nearly 15% of Smartphone users download travel apps for travel planning.
- 55.8% of Smartphone users use mobile apps to find nearby tourist locations, public transportation systems, restaurants, and others.
- Approximately 29% of Smartphone users use apps to check for the best flight deals.
- Nearly, 30% of people with smart phones use mobile apps to find the best hotel deals.
- Close to 46% check into a location on their holiday trip using their smart phones.
Travel companies are leveraging this shift in travel planning by the new-age travelers to increase their business reach.
Be with us till the end to find out how mobile apps have helped in revolutionizing the travel and tourism industry.
The transformative impact of travel apps in the tourism sector
Travel apps have helped in increasing the market of the travel and tourism sector.
It helps people to plan their travel itinerary without being dependent on travel agents.
The following few points would help you understand the impact of travel apps.
Apps improve the travel experience
Mobile apps can add huge value to travel planning.
The new-age mobile apps come with smart algorithms that would help you in planning your travel.
This includes booking train or bus tickets online, hotel booking, read reviews about the place where you want to visit et cetera.
As the apps are linked to the camera of the phone, you can instantly share your experience online with pictures and videos.
This makes the whole experience rich and enjoyable.
Great marketing tools
For travel companies, the mobile app has become a great tool to market their services.
Travel agencies are increasingly leveraging social media to connect with their target audience and entice them with great offers to travel.
These apps give you the option of attracting people by sharing with them great videos and pictures of different locations.
This makes the job of the travelers easy in deciding which place to visit and at what time.
Travel apps also allow you to reach out to the maximum number of people in an effective manner.
It is very important for the growth of your business as well as improving your branding.
Apps can increase the customer base
Travel companies use mobile apps to offer targeted reward programs to their customers.
It can be in the form of first-time app user discount, loyal customer program, Holiday packages et cetera.
These promotional discounts can entice the users to use your mobile app for their travel planning, resulting in more revenue inflow.
It reduces the paperwork
The mobile app helps in reducing the paperwork tremendously.
These apps provide soft copies of train and bus tickets, travel brochures, hotel booking papers, invoices and receipts, and many more.
This has ensured that all the important documents are kept secure in one location, which can be accessed anytime anywhere.
This reduces the labor and resource cost of businesses, thereby improving their ROI.
Made travel booking easy
While there are many advantages of travel apps, the one that the travelers find truly convenient is the booking feature.
The travel apps give you a comprehensive view of what trains, planes, busses, ferries, and other services you can take to reach your destination.
It also informs you about their schedules, the price of booking a seat, and its availability.
This ensures that travelers can plan their itinerary well.
They can book a train, bus, plane tickets weeks, and even months ahead of schedule to have a stress-free travel experience.
Conclusion
If you want your business to succeed in this modern era, then you have to believe in the motto of “smart work and not hard work”.
Travel application is like a Swiss knife. It has replaced the must-have items for early travelers; like maps, guide books, language translators, etc.
Therefore, if you want your business to grow, investing in a travel app is one of the most crucial business decisions you have to take.
However, before diving deep into the travel industry, you must keep an eye on the best tourism apps and their features. This offers better insights about the online travel industry & helps you build a solid travel app idea.
Then you can convert your idea into a well-designed and executed travel app that gives your business a competitive edge.
Moreover, a travel app helps you to provide several incentives to travelers, which in turn increases your brand loyalty.
Further, down the line, a travel app helps you to expand your business and take it to a new level.
