Every year away from the pandemic seems to be a blessing for the travel app industry, which has been hit with up to 70% declines in revenue and usage in 2020. Travel apps, which were popular before the pandemic, have exploded in popularity with many first-time customers over the past four years.

For app marketers, this is a key moment in the travel app industry. The benefit from the end of Covid restrictions is over, but the changes in consumer behavior between 2019 and 2021 have remained largely intact, creating new ground for marketers to try new things.

Like most e-commerce sectors, the north star value for travel apps is acquisition. With travel, this is a much larger investment than average, with customers spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on a given item. This makes re-engagement a massive focus as many buyers would switch sites and take weeks off before the final sale.

– Advertising –

Because of this, travel apps tend to have a lot of systems in place to keep a user thinking about vacation. A notification that reminds them to book, an email a few days later, and referral promotions that make them take advantage of limited-time offers.

At the same time, active use is not as important, as people will mostly only use a travel app when they intend to book somewhere. Very few people access travel apps every day.

We collected data and statistics on travel app benchmarks. Read below to learn more. If you want even more information, consult us travel application report.

Key travel application criteria

• Travel apps had an 18% retention rate on the first day, dropping to 2.8% on day 30
• Google Play travel apps have a much higher app store conversion rate than iOS
• Asia has the highest install rate for travel apps by region, North America has the lowest
• Travel app cart abandonment rates have increased every year since the pandemic
• Average order value has also increased for travel apps every year since 2020

2024 Travel Application Report

Want to learn more about the travel app industry? In our Travel Application Reportwe cover financial information, usage, downloads and demographics by age and gender, alongside market share and benchmarks.

Travel app retention rate

Retention for travel apps is slightly lower than average on the first day, but they retain more users by day 30 than the average for all app sectors.

Travel app retention rate from day one to 30 (%)

Travel App Retention Rate from 2020 to 2023 (%)

Travel app conversion rate

This is the conversion rate of your app’s page views into installs. Google Play apps have a much higher conversion rate than Apple App Store apps.

Travel App Conversion Rate by Platform 2023 (%)

Travel app install rate

The global install rate for travel apps is 7.6%, with North America having the lowest rate and Asia having the highest rate.

Travel App Install Rate by Region 2023 (%)

Travel app cart abandonment rate

Cart abandonment rates have decreased in recent years. They are at their lowest during the holidays, rising by three percentage points through March.

Travel App Cart Abandonment Rate 2023 (%)

Travel basket abandonment rate from 2020 to 2023 (%)

Travel app cart abandonment by type

Online travel agencies have a much higher cart abandonment rate than direct bookings through airlines and hotels.

Travel basket abandonment rate by booking type 2023 (%)

Travel app cart abandonment by device

Mobile has a much higher cart abandonment rate than desktop. Desktop tends to be where users finish ordering.

Travel app cart abandonment by device 2023 (%)

Average travel app order value

Average order value has increased every year since the pandemic. Order value tends to increase during the winter holidays.

Average Travel App Order Value 2023 ($)

Average Travel App Order Value from 2020 to 2023 ($)

Average travel app order value by device

The average order value on desktop is much higher than on mobile, which again shows that when it comes to large or important purchases, people switch to desktop.

Average Travel App Order Value Per Device in 2023 ($)