The online travel booking industry was one of the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic, with some apps reporting more than 70 percent less traffic and bookings than 2019.
It took two years for most online travel agencies, hotels, and airlines to see a return to form, although for some the levels of revenue and occupancy are still below 2019 figures.
Booking Holdings and Expedia Group are the two juggernauts of the online travel booking industry, and account for about 60 percent of all travel bookings in Europe and the United States. Airbnb has slotted into the third spot with its seven million short-term rentals, carving out a new market that both Booking and Expedia are trying to compete in.
One of the ways Booking.com and Expedia have managed to maintain their market share is through the acquisition of competitor websites and apps. Booking owns Priceline.com, KAYAK, and Agoda, while Expedia Group has Orbitz, Travelocity, and Vrbo in its portfolio.
Another way the duopoly has continued is through an expansion to services offered. Both Booking and Expedia have branched out into flights, car rental, experiences, taxis, and cruises. The model is similar across both platforms, with the OTA receiving a small commission for each booking.
The aim is to be a one-stop destination for a holiday, similar to how a travel agency pre-internet would organise the flight, transport, hotel, and events in a packaged holiday.
Airbnb has started this augmentation as well, with the introduction of Experiences in 2016. It also started to promote long-term stays in 2020, in response to the pandemic halting short-term travel. Transport and co-working services may be next on its list.
Even though Booking, Expedia and Airbnb are the three main platforms, there are others, such as Hopper, TripAdvisor and Trip.com.
We have collected data and statistics on the online travel booking market. Read on below to find out more. If you want even more insights, check out our travel app report.
Key Travel App Statistics
- The travel app market generated $629 billion in revenue last year, a 13% increase on the previous year
- Booking generated the most revenue out of all online travel agencies in 2023
- Over 850 million people used a travel app in 2023
- Expedia holds a slight lead in the US market, at 19.3% market share
- Booking was the most downloaded travel app in 2023, with over 80 million downloads
Travel App Report 2024
Want to learn more about the travel app industry? In our Travel App report, we cover financials, usage, downloads, and demographics by age and gender, alongside market share, and benchmarks.
Top Travel Apps
| Title 1 | Title 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| https://www.businessofapps.com/data/airbnb-statistics/ | Airbnb | Opening up second homes and spare rooms to tourists has changed the travel industry, and Airbnb has been at the front of this new type of short-term lodging. |
| https://www.booking.com/apps.en-gb.html | Booking | The largest online travel agency by booking volume and revenue, responsible for 25 percent of all hotel bookings worldwide |
| https://www.expedia.co.uk/travel-mobile-app | Expedia | The other major online travel agency, which alongside Expedia operates the Orbitz, trivago, and Vrbo brands |
| https://www.businessofapps.com/data/hopper-statistics/ | Hopper | A newer flight and hotel booking app, Hopper was the most downloaded OTA in the US in 2021 |
| https://www.vrbo.com/mobile/ | Vrbo | Expedia’s Airbnb competitor, which was originally launched 13 years before Airbnb as a website to book a Ski condo in Colorado |
| https://uk.hotels.com/page/app/ | Hotels.com | Another of Expedia’s subsidiaries, Hotels.com a large directory of hotels, deals, and holiday lets |
| https://www.trivago.co.uk/app | Trivago | A German OTA app that may be most well remembered for its “Hotel? Trivago” adverts |
| https://www.skyscanner.net/mobile.html | Skyscanner | Considered an authority website when it comes to searching flight prices and trying to find the best deals |
| https://www.kayak.co.uk/mobile | KAYAK | One of Booking Holdings subsidiaries, which operates in a very similar way to Booking as a one-stop shop for all things travel |
| https://www.priceline.com/partner/mobile-app?vrid=c4bdde506cdb69fe4710ec47c3adab1a | Priceline | Another Booking subsidiary, which was the name of the holding company before the 2018 change to Booking Holdings |
| https://www.tripadvisor.com/app | TripAdvisor | Primarily known for restaurant and hotel reviews, but also provides booking services |
Travel App Revenue
The travel app industry generated $629 billion revenue in 2022, with hotels and accommodation responsible for the majority of that.
Travel app global revenues 2016 to 2023 ($bn)
Travel Revenue By App
Booking Holdings remained the top online travel agency company in terms of revenue in 2023.
Travel booking app revenues 2017 to 2023 ($bn)
Travel App Users
Just over 850 million people used travel apps in 2023, another increase but still shy of 2019 levels.
Travel booking app users 2016 to 2023 (mm)
Travel App Market Share United States
Expedia has a lead in the US market, however, Booking has been catching up in recent years.
Travel booking app market share in United States 2023 (%)
Travel App Downloads
Booking had the highest annual downloads worldwide, followed by Airbnb.
Travel booking downloads by app 2023 (mm)
More Travel & Local App Data
- Hopper Revenue and Usage Statistics (2024)
- Zillow Revenue and Usage Statistics (2024)
- Uber Revenue and Usage Statistics (2024)
- Airbnb Revenue and Usage Statistics (2024)
- TripAdvisor Revenue and Usage Statistics (2024)
- Expedia Revenue and Usage Statistics (2024)
- Vrbo Revenue and Usage Statistics (2024)
- Booking Revenue and Usage Statistics (2024)
- Lyft Revenue and Usage Statistics (2024)
- what3words Revenue and Usage Statistics (2024)
