What users want from a travel app
When people travel, the phone is the tour guide: the map, the event calendar, the restaurant finder — and, increasingly, the assistant they ask in plain language. For a Destination Marketing Organization the question is the same as ever: how do you put genuinely useful information at your visitors’ fingertips?
What has changed is how much of it you can run from one place. The checklist below is what visitors actually want from a destination app — and every item on it should be something your destination platform handles for you, not a project you build from scratch. See how 40+ live destinations do it.
1. They want to experience life as a local
Visitors want to discover and visit those locations that make your destination unique. Your app should allow visitors to discover top attractions as well as hidden gems within your destination.
Create unique routes and tours
Add interesting route and tours that your visitors can take to discover the best your destination has to offer, add activities such as boat rides, nearby locations trips, hop-on hop-off buses, wine routes or gastronomy tours.
Create unique routes and tours
Add interesting route and tours that your visitors can take to discover the best your destination has to offer, add activities such as boat rides, nearby locations trips, hop-on hop-off buses, wine routes or gastronomy tours.
Create individual pages for each tourist attraction
Diversify you app by creating various points of interest. Add descriptions, photo gallery, contact info and a physical location for each one. POI examples: museums, parks, monuments, etc.
Diversify you app by creating various points of interest. Add descriptions, photo gallery, contact info and a physical location for each one. POI examples: museums, parks, monuments, etc.
Enable Nearby Location on Maps
Allow visitors to find nearby attractions and get directions on how to get there.
Allow visitors to find nearby attractions and get directions on how to get there.
Audio Guides
Add multi-language audio files to any POIs so that your tourists can experience a destination in the coolest possible way.
Add multi-language audio files to any POIs so that your tourists can experience a destination in the coolest possible way.
Recommendations & Experiences
Write articles to share unique experiences and hidden gems within your destination that cannot be discovered elsewhere. For example, share articles about local cuisine or interesting architectural gems they shouldn’t be missing.
Write articles to share unique experiences and hidden gems within your destination that cannot be discovered elsewhere. For example, share articles about local cuisine or interesting architectural gems they shouldn’t be missing.
Create an events calendar
Add local events happening within your destination directly in your app and share them with your users.
Add local events happening within your destination directly in your app and share them with your users.
Push Notifications
Instantly communicate with tourists visiting your destination and inform them about local events and activities they could be interested in.
Instantly communicate with tourists visiting your destination and inform them about local events and activities they could be interested in.
Create offers
Allow visitors to take advantage of the offers and promotions local businesses may be running by adding them to your app.
Allow visitors to take advantage of the offers and promotions local businesses may be running by adding them to your app.
2. They want useful information
Tourists want to quickly find useful information around how to plan their trip or where to find the services they need without too much browsing on the Internet. To make their trip as seamless as possible, your app should be able to deliver important and useful travel information such as accommodation, restaurants, local guides, info points, weather reports, rental services, rescue services, souvenir shops, nightlife areas, security advice, etc.
How to do it:
How to do it:
Collaborate with local entrepreneurs and service providers
Connect with local restaurants, hotels, info points, rental services and give them access to your app to create their own pages within the app and add information your visitors may find useful.
Connect with local restaurants, hotels, info points, rental services and give them access to your app to create their own pages within the app and add information your visitors may find useful.
3. They want to plan their own holiday
How to do it:
User’s personal account
Allow users to create their own account to save activities and POIs to their list, create reminders for the events they want to attend as well as integrate app’s events with their personal calendar on their phone.
Allow users to create their own account to save activities and POIs to their list, create reminders for the events they want to attend as well as integrate app’s events with their personal calendar on their phone.
Share reviews
Encourage users to discover POIs within your destination by reading reviews other have left on your app.
Encourage users to discover POIs within your destination by reading reviews other have left on your app.
Tour routes
Your app should allow visitors plan their own personalized tours within your destination.
Your app should allow visitors plan their own personalized tours within your destination.
Navigation and geolocation
Your app needs to provide users with a handy navigation system so they could easily travel around your destination. You should add a geolocation feature to allow for a smart navigation that will help users easily find nearby cafes, hotels, and different tourist attractions.
Your app needs to provide users with a handy navigation system so they could easily travel around your destination. You should add a geolocation feature to allow for a smart navigation that will help users easily find nearby cafes, hotels, and different tourist attractions.
4. They want access to information in their own language
Most international visitors will not read your content in your language. A multilingual app — and website — lets them find attractions, events and practical information in their own language, and it widens who your destination can welcome.
How to do it:
Multi-language app
Your app should cater for international visitors. Publish in English and in the languages your top visitors actually use; with AI-assisted translation in the CMS, keeping languages in sync is no longer a manual job.
Your app should cater for international visitors. Publish in English and in the languages your top visitors actually use; with AI-assisted translation in the CMS, keeping languages in sync is no longer a manual job.
5. They want access to content wherever they are
Many tourists, especially the international ones won’t have an Internet connection during their trip however, they will need useful information to get around your destination.
How to do it:
How to do it:
Offline content
Allow useful information to be accessed while offline, such as how to get around, pharmacies, hospitals, police stations, top attractions, opening hours etc.
Allow useful information to be accessed while offline, such as how to get around, pharmacies, hospitals, police stations, top attractions, opening hours etc.
6. They want to share their experiences with their friends
Travellers tend to use social media to communicate with their friends and family, so don’t leave them without it during their holiday.
How to do it:
How to do it:
Social media integration
Integrate social media sharing in your app to allow users to chat, and share information, photos and more with their friends.
Integrate social media sharing in your app to allow users to chat, and share information, photos and more with their friends.
7. They want to quickly find the information they need
An intuitive and smart user experience within your app will help visitors to better enjoy their trip and make the most of it.
How to do it:
How to do it:
Provide search function and filters
Your app should include a search function that allows users to easily find all the information they need about sightseeing, city attractions, events or activities. It should also allow users to filter information based on their interests.
Your app should include a search function that allows users to easily find all the information they need about sightseeing, city attractions, events or activities. It should also allow users to filter information based on their interests.
Create an intuitive and easy navigation
Your app should have a highly visual homepage and intuitive navigation bar that leads users to the most important content in the platform. You should make use of sections and categories so that content can be easily found.
Your app should have a highly visual homepage and intuitive navigation bar that leads users to the most important content in the platform. You should make use of sections and categories so that content can be easily found.
Photo by Artem Beliaikin from Pexels
Build it without building it. Website, native mobile app, audio guides, events, push notifications and an AI assistant that answers visitors from your own content — one platform, one dashboard. We run Eventya on Eventya: we build our clients’ platforms in the same CMS we sell, every day. Create your destination — free · See live destinations · Pricing
