‘Revenge Travel’ and travel apps in 2023
Travel apps are expected to generate an impressive $1.23 billion in revenue in 2023. Despite the current economic downturn, people around the world are eager to travel now that most pandemic restrictions and stringent border controls have been lifted, in what has been called “revenge travel.” Forbes reported that 49% of U.S. consumers plan to travel more in 2023.
Looking at data from the first half of 2023, travel apps do seem to be experiencing growth, confirming the trends. Below are the latest 2023 travel app trends.
1. Travel app installs take flight
Adjust last reported that travel apps had made a big bounce back in 2021 and can now share that, according to Adjust data, they’ve since reached heights well above pre-pandemic levels, with the 2023 average so far 18% above the Q4 2019 average. Taking a closer look at more recent performance data, travel app installs are on the rise. In terms of growth, H1 2022 saw an increase of 8% year-over-year (YoY), and then H1 2023 enjoyed a YoY increase of 5%. revenge travel
Pattern alert: June installs climb above the rest
June is an active month for travel app installs, often rising above the yearly average. Check out the following statistics on June installs from the past three years.
- June 2021 travel app installs were 7% above the yearly average.
- June 2022 travel app installs were 10% above the yearly average.
- June 2023 travel app installs were 11% above the H1 2023 average.
June also continues to be a star month in other trends and below, we’ll get into more on why that is.
2. Travel app sessions journey upward revenge travel
Travel app users are logging more and more app sessions. Examining Adjust data for travel app sessions, we’ve noted that, like installs, they are well above pre-pandemic levels, with current 2023 averages 87% higher than the Q4 2019 average. This impressive figure is the result of the consistent, steep, and steady incline in session growth. The chart below shows the increase seen over the last two years, from June 2021 until June 2023. While session increases can often lead to a drop in session lengths, the good news for travel apps is that this volume has also come with a considerable uptick in engagement (more below).
Travel app sessions in 2022 saw a 14% YoY increase. Already, H1 2023 sessions are another 13% above 2022’s yearly average. Based on the trends charted since 2021, we anticipate this percentage will grow by the end of the year as it captures the latter part of the summer and holiday season travel plans.
Guess who it is? It’s June coming back for that session’s growth
Similar to the trend noted in installs, travel app sessions also enjoyed an increase during the month of June compared to the yearly average. And that increase has also grown YoY.
- June 2021 travel app sessions were 2% above the yearly average.
- June 2022 travel app sessions were 8% above the yearly average.
- June 2023 travel app sessions were 9% above the H1 2023 average.
3. Travel app session lengths elongate in 2023 revenge travel
Further confirming that 2023 is a year of growth for travel apps, the boosts in installs and sessions have come with a welcome subsequent increase in session lengths YoY.
H1 2023 session lengths are up 13% YoY and an impressive 15% compared to the same period in 2021—representing an overall climb from 15.04 minutes per session to 17.23. That’s more than two extra minutes total to engage your users.
2023 sees an uptick in sessions per user in travel apps
The year 2023 continues to outperform 2022 when we zoom in on the sessions per user per day in travel apps. So, it’s not just that the individual sessions are longer; users are logging more sessions in total. This indicates that the overall increase in sessions can largely be attributed to multiple sessions per day from existing users, complemented by the sizable installs uptick, resulting in an increase in retention. Basically, this is an extremely positive moment for travel apps.
When compared to the previous two quarters, Q1 2023 outshoned them both in terms of app session frequency, as illustrated on the chart below.
Travel apps’ Day 1 sessions per user per day in Q1 2023 increased to a median of 1.6—up from 1.56 in Q2 2022. Day 7 saw an increase between the two quarters from 1.65 sessions to 1.70 sessions. Finally, Day 30 saw the greatest expansion in sessions per user per day, from 1.59 sessions to 1.67 sessions. This increase further speaks to the growing engagement users have with travel apps and marketers’ success in acquiring users that, when retained, are highly engaged.
5. Retention rates for travel apps flying high
Travel apps’ retention rates in Q1 2023 are up considerably YoY. Day 1 increased by an impressive six percentage points between the two quarters, climbing from 11% to 17%. While the gap slowly closed throughout the 30-day period, Day 30 for Q1 2023 still finished two percentage points higher than the preceding quarter.
While these rising figures are great, they still aren’t super high compared to some other app verticals. Depending on your app monetization model, you’ll likely have different retention requirements. Either way, check out our guide, How to successfully keep users and grow your app, for top retention tips.
