Travel Website Development [Real Projects Cost Calculations]

Building a travel website is no small task, and your first question might be, “Where do I even start?”. And the next question you're likely asking: “Okay, but how much does creating a travel website actually cost?”

 

To be honest, many travel startups struggle with issues such as staying on budget, defining clear development goals, and selecting the right functionality to build websites and differentiate themselves in a crowded market.

 

We feel your pain.

 

At Onix, we know how to make a travel website that reaches results.

 

Here's the proof showcasing the results of projects in the tourism industry we worked on.

 

• Travelbid: a travel booking system that counts 14K+ service providers and adds 5K new users monthly.
• MisterB&B: a travel web platform that reached 1 million accommodations in 200 countries.

 

So, how can you develop a travel website without making costly mistakes that eat up time and resources?

 

That's exactly what we're going to talk about here.

 

By the end of this blog post, you'll know exactly:

 

• What essential travel website components you need to include
• Intricacies of budgeting and resource allocation are needed to build new website
• What unexpected costly expenses may arise during the tour operator website development

 

As a bonus, we reveal our real project cost calculations.

Essential Features for Developing a Travel Website

Before diving into the costs, we will showcase the key components required to build websites that are both attractive and effective in meeting your objectives.

 

Multiple payment methods. These components include:

 

User interfaces for all parties

Travel web development involves creating a responsive and visually appealing web design to attract more customers. 

 

1. Administrator interface
The administrator interface is designed for OTA administrators and system administrators responsible for managing the travel platform's operations and functionality.

 

Key functionality of the administrator interface includes:

 

2. Travel agent interface
The travel agent web design is tailored to meet the needs of travel agents, tour operators, and agencies who assist customers with planning and travel arrangements.

 

Key functionality of the travel agent interface includes:

 

3. Traveler interface

The traveler interface is designed to provide a seamless and intuitive experience for customers who want to plan and book trips. 

 

Key functionality of the traveler interface includes:

 

 

 

Payment gateway

The payment gateway acts as a bridge between tour operator websites and various financial institutions, enabling the processing of payments for booking flights, hotels, rental cars, tours, and other travel services.

 

Here are the key functionalities of a payment gateway for a travel website:

 

• Secure payment processing.

A payment gateway ensures the security of online transactions by encrypting sensitive financial information such as credit card details, personal identification numbers, and authentication tokens.

 

• Multiple payment methods.

A payment gateway supports a variety of payment methods to accommodate the diverse preferences of users and regional payment systems. 

 

Depending on the OTA's target market and clients base, it typically accepts major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, etc.), debit cards, bank transfers, digital wallets (e.g., PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay), and alternative payment methods (e.g., Alipay, WeChat Pay). 

 

For example, for TravelBid.com, Onix's experts integrated Stripe and PayPal.

 

For MisterB&B, a travel platform for renting LGBTQ-friendly accommodations, we integrated Stripe, PayPal, Payoneer, and Adyen payment systems, allowing users to accept payments and send payouts securely online.

 

• Automated payment processing.

Payment gateways automate payment workflows, reducing manual tasks and streamlining the user experience. Once authorized, payments update booking records, send confirmation emails, and manage inventory.

 

• Transaction reporting and settlement.

Payment gateways offer comprehensive reporting and settlement functionalities, enabling the tracking of transaction activity, reconciliation of payments, and management of financial records.

• Booking engines

Booking engines are software platforms or modules integrated into a travel website or application that enable users to search, browse, and book travel services, including flights, hotels, rental cars, tours, and activities.
 

“For the travel platform for renting LGBTQ‑friendly accommodations, Misterb&b, the Onix team built a search engine that allows quick search within a 2M+ listings database using various filters.”

Oleksandr Bilous, Tech Lead at Onix

Example of search functionality built by Onix
 

Key functionality of booking engines includes:
 

• Search functionality. It enables visitors to search for travel services based on criteria such as destination, dates, preferences, and budget. These advanced search filters and sorting options enable users to find relevant options quickly.
• Real-time availability. This ensures that users see up-to-date information on flight schedules, hotel room availability, and tour availability when making reservations.
• Dynamic pricing. These engines calculate and display dynamic pricing based on demand, availability, seasonality, and user preferences. They may offer promotional discounts, package deals, and personalized recommendations that allow your potential clients to make an excellent choice.
• Secure reservation flow. Such booking systems facilitate a secure process, allowing users to enter payment details, confirm reservations, and receive instant confirmation emails or tickets.

 

Read also: Overview of online travel fraud and means of its prevention
 

• Reporting and analytics. These tools allow many tour operators and OTAs to track metrics, analyze user behavior, customer satisfaction, measure the site's performance, and overall online success.
   

Third-party APIs

Third-party APIs are interfaces provided by external service providers, travel suppliers, and technology partners that allow tour operators and OTAs to access and integrate travel inventory, content, and functionalities into their own professional websites.

 

Some common types of third-party APIs used in tour operator websites include:

 

• Global distribution systems (GDS).
  GDS APIs provide real-time access to a vast inventory of flights, hotels, and travel services from global suppliers.
• Hotel aggregators.
  Hotel aggregator APIs offer a wide selection of hotels with real-time availability, competitive pricing, and detailed information.
• Airline APIs.
  Allow OTAs to access flight schedules, pricing, and booking directly from airlines' reservation systems, including low-cost and charter flights.
• Tour and activity APIs.
  They offer access to a diverse range of tours, activities, and events worldwide. They enable OTAs to offer potential customers curated experiences, sightseeing tours, adventure activities, and event tickets.
• Car rental APIs.
  Car rental APIs provide access to car rental companies and local suppliers, enabling them to offer functionality such as vehicle availability, pricing, rental terms, and booking management capabilities.

 

Check out our travel and hospitality software development services to learn more about integrating advanced tools into your platform.

Example of a car rental page designed by the Onix team
 

Content management system (CMS)

CMS enables the management and organization of various content related to tourism industry services and offerings.

 

Here's an overview of the key functionality of a CMS in tour operator websites:

 

• Dynamic content creation to create and publish dynamic content such as travel packages, deals, destination guides, blog posts, and user reviews.
• Content organization and structure to organize content hierarchically, categorize it based on topics, destinations, or types of services, and build taxonomies for easy navigation. 
• Integration with travel inventory to access a wide range of travel inventory, such as flights, hotels, rental cars, tours, and activities.
• Search engine optimization to improve the visibility of tour operator websites, drive organic traffic, and boost ranking in search engine results, supported by Google Analytics integration for tracking user behavior, measuring performance, and refining marketing strategies.
• It's possible to start a travel business online without a proper CMS.

 

For example, MisterB&B ran without a CMS for several years.

 

However, after the Onix team added the Guides, Events, and Blog sections to the website, we witnessed a significant increase in organic traffic, the number of users, and sales.

Travel platform for renting LGBTQ‑friendly accommodations built by Onix

 

Travel Website Development Cost Breakdown

So, how to build a travel portal and how much will it cost?

 

Let's examine a histogram that showcases the breakdown of costs by development stage. It helps companies visualize where most of the budget is allocated:

In the table below, we describe two scenarios: the typical development cost of core functionality and the cost with optional advanced ones:

 

 
Explanation:

 

• The typical cost reflects the budget for building tour operator websites with must-have functionality, including user registration, search, scheduling, and payment capabilities.

 

• The cost with optional functionality includes AI-based recommendations or virtual tours, which enhance the user experience but require additional investment.

The information above can only give you an idea of what to expect, as each business goal and project is unique. The cost of a tour operator website development can vary based on the site's complexity, design, and functionality.

 

Below, our experts prepared a breakdown that showcases the basic travel portal development cost to consider:
 

 
Note: Please note that the provided tour operator website development cost is approximate and may vary based on various factors, including the complexity of your tour operator site, specific technical expertise, unique needs, choice of vendors or service providers, geographic location, and market rates for development services.

 

Here we share prices based on different travel software types:

Travel website development costs

 
It's important to note that these figures provide a sample estimate of costs. After reviewing the estimated cost, reach out for a proposal. This will enable us to align on the best strategy and provide you with an accurate quote to create a travel website.

Additional Cost Considerations When Building an Online Travel Platform

How to build a travel website without stumbling into unexpected, costly expenses? It's simple. You just need to be prepared. We recommend anticipating and budgeting for additional costs that may arise throughout the tour operator website development process.

 

Drawing from our expertise, we can outline additional cost factors to consider while developing tour operator websites:

 

Unexpected costs

Despite careful planning, unexpected expenses can arise during the development phase. It's prudent to allocate a contingency budget of around 10-20% of the total new website cost to cover unforeseen expenses such as additional tourism websites development requirements, technology upgrades, or changes in project scope. 

 

Scalability requirements

As the OTA grows and attracts more visitors, scalability becomes a priority. Scaling infrastructure, upgrading server capacity, and optimizing performance to handle increased traffic and transactions may incur unexpected costs.

 

Extra features to stand out

Incorporating interactive, user-friendly functionality into your travel site is essential to stand out in the competitive landscape. These functionalities help you enhance digital presence, drive conversions, increase engagement, and boost competitiveness.

 

 

Read Also: Use Cases of AR/VR in the Travel Industry 

 

Partnership and affiliate programs

Consider investing in partnership and affiliate programs to expand your OTA's reach, enhance online presence, and acquire new customers. Partnering with airlines, hotels, many tour operators, and other travel providers can result in mutual benefits and revenue-sharing opportunities, but it may involve upfront costs or commission payments.
 

Ongoing maintenance and updates

Once your OTA is live, ongoing maintenance and updates are essential to ensure smooth operation, security, strong online presence, and performance. Budgeting for regular software updates, security patches, server maintenance, and website backups helps prevent downtime and security vulnerabilities.

 

Onix's Travel Platform Development Experience [Costs Included]

The Onix team built TravelBid.com, a booking platform designed for travelers ​​in Cyprus. Its UVP was the ability to easily book deals and personalized offers that wouldn't be found anywhere else.

A travel booking platform designed by Onix

 
Simultaneously, local travel and hospitality companies can offer special deals with low demand without publishing prices below market average on popular booking engines like Booking.com or Expedia.
 

Solutions we provided

To build a travel website platform, our company provided the following development services and solutions:

 

• develop interfaces for two categories of users: travel and hospitality portal, and an interface for vendors;
• provide a search engine that allows quick search within a listings database using various filters;
• build a mobile-friendly front-end;
• ensure real-time messaging;
• integrate the Stripe and Paypal payment systems to allow users to accept payments and send payouts online securely. 
• build a streamlined and convenient user flow, a delightful, clean UI design, and a unique logo for TravelBid.

Design of a travel website platform made by the Onix team

 

The cost required to create a travel website such as TravelBid

Our experts provide a breakdown of the development cost of a mid-range travel website based on TravelBid below.

 

 Travel website development costs

 

TravelBid was launched in June 2022. 

 

The platform currently counts over 14,000 providers and adds approximately 5,000 new users each month. The platform's development continues as the client expands the business to other countries.

Summing Up

Throughout this article, we've navigated the intricacies of tour operators and travel website functionality, shedding light on the actual costs and potential pitfalls in wait.

 

So, now you know how to develop tour operator websites without making expensive errors that consume significant time and resources.

 

Ready to take your tour and activity business to the next level? If you are ready to start building a new website, remember you don't have to navigate this path alone.

 

Our wealth of experience and proven methodologies stand ready to guide your travel business toward success, saving you valuable time and resources along the way.

 

At any stage of your travel website or mobile application development, please contact Onix, a travel software development company, for consultation or assistance in creating tour operator websites.

 

We will be happy to help you find the right solution and build a high-quality website that guarantees business growth!

 

You can find even more helpful tips for creating tour operator websites in our blog posts.

 

FAQs

 

What factors influence the price when building a travel website?

How to create a website for your travel business without stumbling into unexpected, costly expenses? The answer is to be aware of all factors that influence the price. Here they are:

 

• the number and technical complexity of a project
• app architecture solutions
• website design requirements
• technology stack
• integration of licensed APIs and third-party services
• the number and qualifications of specialists on the development company
• their salaries or hourly rates
• location of your software development company
• the type of contract with the developers

 

How can I get an accurate cost estimate for my travel platform development?

To get an accurate cost estimate, it's advisable to consult with experienced developers or development agencies. 

 

Providing detailed project specifications and discussing specific functionalities desired for the travel web platform will help obtain a more precise estimate. Share your travel app idea and business needs with us, and our experts will calculate your app development costs and offer the best solution for you.

 

How long does it take to develop a travel website portal?

The development timeline depends on your business needs, the project's complexity and features. A basic travel industry site may take a few months to develop, while a more complex one with advanced, powerful tools could take several months or even longer. 

 

How much does it cost to create a travel website?

A basic online travel site development budget typically starts at around $ 70,000 when outsourced to Eastern Europe, Latin America, or South Asia. Each integrated solution that expands services and improves the customer experience will increase costs. The minimum budget for an Expedia-like web application will start at $100K.

 

What are the key factors affecting travel website costs?

Key factors affecting travel site costs include solutions like booking engines, payment processing, search functionality, and other tools. Design elements such as custom UI/UX and responsive design.

 

Integration of GDS, hotel aggregators, airline APIs, and security measures like data encryption and compliance with travel industry standards. The site's development complexity includes custom development, design process, third-party integrations, ongoing maintenance, and support.

 

Which website design mistakes can hurt my tour business the most?

Key mistakes during the design process include poor navigation, slow loading times, non-responsive design, unclear calls to action, and a lack of engaging visuals or transparent pricing. These issues can affect your online presence and business reputation, frustrate visitors, and drive them to competitors.

 

How can I estimate the ROI of a travel website?

To estimate ROI, compare your site's development and maintenance costs to revenue generated through bookings, ad placements, or partnerships. Track metrics like conversion rates, average booking value, and customer acquisition cost to measure your business success.