City Guide App: A Development Model To Increase Revenue From Travel Business

Let's see what advantages a city guide app can boast about.

Apps for travelers are mostly specializing in touristic services sale like flights, hotels booking, car rent etc., or just on consulting services and recommendations allowing travelers share their experience and get recommendations about places they wish to visit. Sales of online traveling services have grown in a few time for last years. And since the market share of this business is growing every year, the development of a trip planner app isn't a surprise to anybody. It is worth noting that market in this category is pretty crowded, but it doesn't mean you should become a competitor to huge companies that have already occupied this niche properly and permanently.

We offer you to focus on local solutions, develop an app for your local citizens and tourists.

Native app advantages

We should say that native apps compared to web apps or mobile version of the website have more advantages including their user-friendliness and recognizable design that is a powerful tool for brand promotion. In addition, a mobile app can use multiple features of the mobile device like camera, notifications etc. Also, native apps can work autonomously. Once the tourist app is installed on user's phone, a customer can start using it from time to time. It allows the brand to get closer to the customer and get his feedback concerning the app.

See our prototype of virtual city guide below: 

The major advantage of native apps is their access to all features of smartphone and confirmation of the access to an important information like social media accounts and geolocation. This data is very important. It can be used for the development of a common traveling picture of consumers. It will allow developers to improve the experience of users.

The main reason why touristic brands use mobile apps is an opportunity to stimulate interaction with users via their apps creating a crowd-pleasing experience and offering useful and descriptive content. So now let's speak about what components content shall include and what MVP features all best city guide apps should have.

When somebody develops an app, what does he or she want? He or she needs to solve numerous professional problems to make the life simpler. In our case, the main goal is to provide useful information for tourists. If you do it - you may succeed. An important part of it is a knowing of your local region, and therefore you will need to consider the following components in the future app:

Online and offline mode. Internet roaming is a very expensive, everybody knows it. And, you might be surprised, but today sometimes even in big cities it can be rather difficult to find Wi-Fi. That is why your app should be effective in offline mode as well. And users will appreciate it.

Multiple-language support. To satisfy both local citizens and foreigners, you should create an app considering at least two languages - English and local. And depending on a number of markets you targeted the app for, you can add a few languages covering an audience that will use your app in a certain region.

Apart from it, it should include such categories like the following:

Locations. Each point on the map should be clickable. Moreover, it should provide users with detailed information. Unlike most maps, users should see not only the restaurant in a certain street but also additional information about it like address, phone number, distance from a current location, pictures, short description, website, social media links.

There are many free APIs that you can integrate into your software for these purposes. For example, they may be like:

• OpenStreetMap. Open source code, edited and regularly updated maps. They have very accurate refinement.

• Google Places API. Large catalog with more than 95 millions of local enterprises and sights all around the world. There is also a very convenient Autofill feature since it prompts you options based on words you're typing.

• WikiVoyage and Wikipedia can be integrated for getting information about sights. You can also extract images but don't forget about copyrights.

• Foursquare API. It provides access to the database of Foursquare places, trading platform, and services. Many developers use API Foursquare for integration it into city guide apps to add as many locations as possible.

• TripAdvisor API offers you the access to a huge database created by users and provides pictures of travelers, detailed reviews and dwellings, sights and restaurant assessments. However, if you plan to use TripAdvisor API, you should receive a partner key to get the access. TripAdvisor API is not an open source.

Current events. When you are in a foreign city, you might have an intention to meet new people and enjoy particularities of local culture and cuisine. That is why you need to add a section of topical events. For example, if some large festival or concert is going to be held in the city, you need to send notification or show this information on the main page of the app. When the individual is in a certain geo zone, he or she can receive this message. You can divide events for topical and forthcoming, make a list of subcategories (music, theatre, cinema, sport, parties and so on). And, of course, mind to include a detailed information about an event like time, place, cost, pictures and so on.

There are a couple of ways to monetize your city guide mobile app:

'Nearby me' feature. It is created to let the user find the place he or she is interested in, for example, where to eat or how to find a nearby store. GPS function can help in it and locate such places.

This feature is also good for advertising. You can sign an agreement with local business owners to include their hotels and restaurants in the top list of your app.

Propositions. if you don't know how to monetize your local city guide app, you can arrange marketing campaign with local business owners as well. You can start proposing people discounts, promo codes, ways to get a free dinner or drink etc. It is profit for everybody.

Apart from the features above, you can add some more features to a city guide app to draw as many users as possible.

So, we listed main and some additional features that should be in your touristic app. But you can add much more various features like weather forecasts, phones of local emergency services and so on. The main thing you need to mind is to find your market and elaborate strategy choosing niches and unoccupied territories. If you work hard, you will succeed for sure. You will be able to beat all your competitors and lead the race!

But as for software development, our company can assist you in it. Our experience allows us to turn all your dreams into a win-win mobile app. Just contact us and subscribe to our blog to get more interesting info!

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