--- static_export_time: "2026-10-05T14:54:04+00:00" title: "Travel Category Rebounding to Pre-Pandemic Download Levels" description: "AppTweak data shows that app downloads in the travel category are finally returning to pre-pandemic levels." url: "/en/aso-blog/travel-category-rebounding-to-pre-pandemic-download-levels" locale: "en-US" image: "https://www.apptweak.com/img/2023/03/750x375_website_market-insigh-2.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=1500&h=750&fit=crop" --- # Travel Category Rebounding to Pre-Pandemic Download Levels ![Lea Marrazzo](/img/2023/03/lea.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=200&h=200&fit=crop)by  **Lea Marrazzo** Inbound Marketing Manager Last updated on January 15 2026 — 3 min read Summarize with AI Subscribe to our monthly newsletter Subscribe to our monthly newsletter During the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, the **travel category was one of the most affected categories on the app stores in 2020**. With mobility restrictions within and across countries, people all over the world canceled travel plans for the foreseeable future. Exactly two years after the first lockdown, AppTweak data shows that app downloads in the travel category are finally returning to pre-pandemic levels. **Hopper** and **VRBO** come out strong after the pandemic, whereas ride-sharing apps **Uber** and **Lyft** are still struggling to reach pre-pandemic highs. * * * ## Hopper hits 4.7M downloads in the US ![Download Estimates of Travel Booking Apps](/img/images/2022/04/04/Download Estimates of Travel Booking Apps.png?auto=format,compress&q=75&w=1200 "Download Estimates of Travel Booking Apps") **Canadian travel app Hopper has emerged from the pandemic as the top travel booking app in the US** , surpassing Booking.com and Expedia. Data from [AppTweak’s Market Intelligence](/en/market-intelligence "/market-intelligence") shows that Hopper received a total of 4.7M downloads in the US in Q1 2022, 19% more than Booking.com and 52% more than Expedia. ![Hopper Hits 4.7M Downloads in the US](/img/images/2022/04/04/Hopper Hits 4.7M Downloads in the US.png?auto=format,compress&q=75&w=1200 "Hopper Hits 4.7M Downloads in the US")Hopper was hit hard during the first lockdown. Downloads decreased 96% to a low of 2,690 daily downloads on March 26, 2020. Today, however, the app is the **leading travel booking app in the US**. In Q1 2022, downloads for Hopper were 145% higher than pre-pandemic levels (Q1 2019). ## ![Hopper Downloads 145% Higher than Pre-Pandemic Levels](/img/images/2022/04/04/Hopper Downloads 145% Higher.png?auto=format,compress&q=75&w=1200 "Hopper Downloads 145% Higher than Pre-Pandemic Levels")VRBO surpasses Airbnb as the most popular vacation rental app ![Download Estimates of Vacation Rental Apps](/img/images/2022/04/04/Donwload Estimates of Vacation Rental Apps.png?auto=format,compress&q=75&w=1200 "Download Estimates of Vacation Rental Apps")VRBO, part of the Expedia group, is now the **most popular vacation rental app in the US**. According to [AppTweak Analytics](/en/aso-blog/analytics-2-0-a-new-way-to-monitor-app-performance), in Q1 2022, the app received a total of 4.7M downloads, 22% more than Airbnb. ![VRBO Surpassing Airbnb by 22%](/img/images/2022/04/04/VRBO Surpassing Airbnb by 22%.png?auto=format,compress&q=75&w=1200 "VRBO Surpassing Airbnb by 22%") **Vacation rental apps recovered more quickly than traditional hotel booking apps after the first lockdown.** VRBO, in particular, saw impressive growth during the pandemic; downloads in Q1 2022 were 231% higher than the same quarter in 2019. In comparison, downloads for Airbnb only grew 10% over the same period. ## ![VRBO Downloads 231% Higher than Pre-Pandemic](/img/images/2022/04/04/VRBO Donwloads 231% Higher tjhan Pre-Pandemic.png?auto=format,compress&q=75&w=1200 "VRBO Downloads 231% Higher than Pre-Pandemic")Airline travel back to pre-pandemic levels, reaching 6.5M downloads **Airline travel recovered much slower than any other category as a result of the pandemic and travel restrictions.** In 2020, app downloads for the top 3 US airlines (United Airlines, Delta, and American Airlines) dropped by 51% compared to 2019. ![Download Estimates of Airline Apps](/img/images/2022/04/04/Donwload Estimates of Airline Apps.png?auto=format,compress&q=75&w=1200 "Download Estimates of Airline Apps")As worldwide restrictions began to ease, downloads for airline apps surged and reached a high in July 2021. Today, the airline category seems to be back to pre-pandemic download levels. In Q1 2022, the **top 3 airline apps received a total of 6.5M downloads, 23% more than Q1 2019**. ## ![Airline Travel Back to Pre-Pandemic Levels Reaching 6.5M Downloads](/img/images/2022/04/04/Airline Travel Back to Pre-Pandemic Levels.png?auto=format,compress&q=75&w=1200 "Airline Travel Back to Pre-Pandemic Levels Reaching 6.5M Downloads ")Uber downloads still 10% lower than before pandemic ![Download Estimates Ride-Sharing Apps](/img/images/2022/04/04/Download Estimates Ride-Sharing Apps.png?auto=format,compress&q=75&w=1200 "Download Estimates Ride-Sharing Apps") **Uber and Lyft are recovering more slowly from the turbulent pandemic years**. AppTweak’s Market Intelligence data shows that downloads for the ride-hailing apps Uber and Lyft are respectively 10% and 21% lower than before pandemic times (Q1 2022 vs. Q1 2019). ## ![Uber Downloads Still 10% Lower than Before Pandemic](/img/images/2022/04/04/Downloads Uber.png?auto=format,compress&q=75&w=1200 "Uber Downloads Still 10% Lower than Before Pandemic ")A step towards recovery in the travel app category The travel category has certainly been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic. However, as countries and economies open up and most restrictions are lifted, app downloads in the travel category are soaring again. Nonetheless, the landscape for travel apps has changed. **Established apps like Booking.com and Airbnb must now make room for newer apps like Hopper and VRBO.** Furthermore, the category’s most downloaded apps, Uber and Lyft, continue to struggle to recover from stay-at-home guidelines. Discover recent data on [the most downloaded Travel & Navigation apps of 2025](/en/reports/most-downloaded-travel-apps). * * * _The data in this report are estimates calculated by AppTweak. You can export download and revenue estimates for any app with AppTweak’s_ [_App Store API_](/en/app-store-api), _or in [AppTweak’s Market Intelligence](/en/market-intelligence)._ [Start a 7-day free trial](https://app.apptweak.com/accounts/new) * * * by **Lea Marrazzo** , Inbound Marketing Manager Helping the mobile app community getting together. She loves all things circus, food and cinema. [ Leveraging the App Stores as a True Marketing Channel Understand how mobile marketers can maximize their impact by leveraging the app stores as a true marketing channel. ![Sukanya Sur](/img/2023/03/sukanya.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=300&h=300&fit=crop)Sukanya Sur Read more ](/en/aso-blog/leveraging-the-app-stores-as-a-true-marketing-channel) * * * More articles in App Market Insights - [ App Market Insights October 3, 2026 Most downloaded sports betting apps by market in 2026 See the most downloaded sports betting apps by market in 2026 ![Micah Motta](/img/2025/07/20250220-Micah_Motta.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=300&h=300&fit=crop)Micah Motta ](/en/reports/most-downloaded-sports-betting-apps-by-market) - [ App Market Insights September 19, 2026 ASO news & app store updates 2026 Stay up to date about all recent developments in ASO and the app stores in 2026. ![Pierre-Antoine Roy](/img/2026/04/squaredapptweakprofilepicture.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=600&h=600&fit=crop)Pierre-Antoine Roy ](/en/aso-blog/app-store-optimization-news-app-store-updates) - [ App Market Insights September 17, 2026 SEO for apps: How to drive organic traffic and downloads beyond the app stores Discover how SEO can boost your app’s visibility beyond the app stores with actionable SEO tips for 2025 ![Nathalie](/img/2024/02/nath-app-copie-croped.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&w=300&h=300&fit=crop)Nathalie ](/en/aso-blog/seo-for-apps) [See all posts](/en/aso-blog)