{"id":2141,"date":"2019-08-07T07:44:01","date_gmt":"2019-08-07T07:44:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alternative-spaces.com\/blog\/?p=2141"},"modified":"2023-05-12T09:13:02","modified_gmt":"2023-05-12T09:13:02","slug":"an-overview-of-travel-booking-apis-for-travel-and-tourism-providers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alternative-spaces.com\/blog\/an-overview-of-travel-booking-apis-for-travel-and-tourism-providers\/","title":{"rendered":"An Overview of Travel Booking APIs for Travel and Tourism Providers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Like most industries nowadays, the tourism and travel industry is being transformed by Internet technologies. Modern travel websites and applications allow for booking flights, hotels, cruises, and other services almost instantaneously. \u2018All-in-one-place\u2019 online travel platforms have reshaped the user experiences, unifying and simplifying them. According to Statista, revenue in the segment totals $434B in 2019<\/a> and is expected to show an annual growth rate of 6.2% over the next four years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The current shift towards travelers booking online started with the creation of Internet booking engines. We had mentioned online booking systems in the context of travel agency software<\/a>, but they certainly deserve more attention. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article starts with the methods of integration of a booking system into a travel business\u2019 website. An emphasis is made on connection via a travel booking API (application programming interface). The second chapter provides an overview of popular travel industry APIs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Integrate an Online Booking System without Custom Code Development<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are four ways to integrate an online booking system into a website without writing original code. The choice of the optimal method depends mainly on your content management system (CMS) and budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Link to an external website<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The simplest method is to link the travel business website to an external website. It isn\u2019t a real integration, but it\u2019s cheap and easy to implement. You just have to create a link that will send site visitors to another destination. That\u2019s something most site owners don\u2019t want to do, though. The external website, with a different branding, could be slow or offer inadequate user experience. Users behavior analysis and strategizing will suffer as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Embed an inline frame (iframe)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Iframe allows embedding an external website into your site. Unlike external linking, iframe integration doesn\u2019t send visitors away. To execute iframe integration, you need to copy and paste some ready-made code into your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most websites that allow embedding provide the opportunity for free. The cons of the iframe are that you have no control over how it is displayed. With responsive sites, iframe often doesn\u2019t display correctly in a mobile context, unless the external booking system is mobile as well. Iframes won\u2019t let you track your users\u2019 activity and implement your branding either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your website is made with drag-and-drop builders, external links or iframes are the only options. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Install a plugin<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

An online appointment scheduling plugin is excellent for small businesses. The popular CMS platforms like Drupal, Joomla, or WordPress have quality plugins. Website owners can use them for free or get a yearly license for the same price as hiring a programmer for two hours. If your website was built on WordPress, well-developed plugins might provide the best value for money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Usually, it takes a few clicks to get the plugins up and running. They are also typically optimized for different devices so that online booking works equally well on a computer or smartphone. Just make sure the plugin is up-to-date.  If you install too many plugins provided by different developers, they can be conflicting and slowing down your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Connect via a travel booking API<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

APIs can be squeezed into one word \u2014 connectivity. They connect data streams and functionalities between different software products. APIs allow one company to access the products of another company in a legitimate way, for example, bridging the gap of the data flow across the connected supply chain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Practically speaking, a hotel business can connect its room reservation system with local car rental providers. Customers can rent a car straight from the website, making the booking process hassle-free and fast. Smart city builders use APIs to create travel guides and other apps to help tourists and others find their way around town and locate the best restaurants, museums, sightseeing attractions, and so on. Everything seems to be possible as travel industry players are increasingly willing to share data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Uber is a travel API pioneer. In 2014, the company allowed Hyatt hotels, OpenTable, Starbucks, United Airlines, and several other third parties to add the \u201crequest a ride\u201d function to their applications. The integration enabled tourists to book Uber rides without switching apps, using just one platform.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most often, it\u2019s CMS-driven websites that can integrate APIs. Their most significant advantages are the excellent user experience and control of the user interface. APIs and XML (Extensible Markup Language) quickly provide users with accurate information, e.g., on room availability, pricing, etc. APIs also allow tracking travel data and user behavior, as well as communication in both directions: your website can both push and pull data instead of merely displaying it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

APIs provide the best way to integrate an online booking system without developing custom code. It\u2019s great news that the market abounds in travel APIs for various needs and budgets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Travel Booking API<\/strong>s Are There to Connect    <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

(We couldn\u2019t possibly list all of the best APIs on the market in a short article like this, or without looking biased. Instead, we are presenting a random cross-section that gives an idea of what is available). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amadeus APIs<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Amadeus APIs relate to GDS (global distribution system) capabilities. The APIs are delivered either as self-service or enterprise sets: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Self-Service APIs<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Self-service APIs have replaced an old travel booking API \u2014 Innovation Sandbox \u2014 and are designed not only for prototyping purposes but also for commercial use. These APIs facilitate flights-hotels search, including the search for the cheapest dates, lowest fares, and most booked destinations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amadeus Self-service APIs use REST\/JSON standards. All available APIs can be used for testing purposes with these standards for free with 2,000 \u2013 10,000 monthly requests, depending on a particular service. The price of these APIs in production would be $0.0028 \u2013 $0.034 (\u20ac0.0025 \u2013 \u20ac0.030).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Enterprise APIs<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is the main set that covers nine distribution types:<\/p>\n\n\n\n