2025 State of Mobile: Travel Apps Sustained Gains After Huge Resurgence

Travel apps achieved new records for both downloads and time spent in 2024, a remarkable accomplishment given the rapid growth seen in 2022 and 2023 due to pent-up demand coming out of the pandemic. Global Travel app downloads across iOS and Google Play reached 4.2 billion in 2024, marking a 3% increase from the previous year. Meanwhile, time spent in Travel apps climbed 7.3% year-over-year (YoY) to surpass 20 billion hours for the first time. 

In Sensor Tower’s State of Mobile 2025 Report, we highlight 10 different app categories, including the latest trends from Travel with this year’s summer travel season approaching. Dive deep into the latest trends across 23 markets and uncover which apps broke through in 2024. And for more analysis, check out our blog post highlighting the biggest trends of the year.

Travel Apps Continued to Flourish Despite Higher Travel Costs

The record-high Travel app performance was particularly impressive given the rapid growth seen in 2021 through 2023. However, the growth rate has slowed compared to previous years as the market corrected following this surge in demand. Rising travel costs also contributed to the deceleration. Still, the continued rise in time spent in Travel apps indicates that consumers are increasingly embracing mobile tools for planning and booking their trips.

As global travel patterns settle in after a few turbulent years, several transportation subgenres have maintained strong growth for mobile adoption. Mobile apps are a convenient way for travelers to plan trips, buy and scan tickets, and more. Bus & Rail Services downloads were up 2% YoY and 44% from 2019 before the pandemic, while Airline apps achieved 5% growth YoY and 51% from 2019.

YouTube Provides Opportunities for Travel App Advertisers

According to Sensor Tower’s Digital Advertising data, Travel advertisers shifted ad spending from OTT platforms to YouTube in 2024, which accounted for 59% of their video ad budget, up 7 percentage points (ppts) from 2023. The Accommodations & Lodging sector notably redirected 14 ppts to YouTube, with major players like Airbnb and Expedia (Vrbo) increasing their investments by 112% and 162%, respectively. This shift highlights YouTube's increasing influence in effectively engaging travel audiences, making it a key platform for advertisers in the sector.  

Why are Travel advertisers devoting more of their budgets to YouTube? Sensor Tower Audience Insights data show that more than 90% of world travelers, hotel hoppers, and frequent flyers in the US accessed YouTube in Q4 2024, far exceeding Netflix (less than 50%), Hulu (less than 25%), and Peacock (less than 20%). This highlights YouTube’s dominance among travel-focused audiences and helps explain the growing ad investment shift from OTT platforms to YouTube. For a much more detailed look at the latest social and OTT advertising trends, check out our free State of Digital Advertising report.

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Sensor Tower’s 2025 State of Mobile Report dives deep into regional and category-level market trends made possible by our award-winning digital market insights platform. Claim your copy of the State of Mobile 2025 today!