NEWTON, Mass., April 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor(®), the world's largest travel site*, today announced it has reached the mobile milestone of 100 million downloads for its free app for iPhone and Android. The number of downloads more than doubled in the past year and is up 6x from 2011. According to data from Distimo, a global leader in business intelligence and app market data, TripAdvisor is now the most popular travel app based on total App Store downloads(1).

"As travel planning has shifted from something you do ahead of time to something that's possible anytime, the TripAdvisor mobile app has become the essential companion for millions of travelers," said Stephen Kaufer, president and CEO of TripAdvisor. "Reaching the milestone of 100 million downloads is evidence that travelers worldwide are benefitting from the TripAdvisor community's reviews and opinions, wherever their travels may take them."

The TripAdvisor mobile app is recognized in the industry for its function and innovation. The app that was recently named "Best Mobile App" by Eye for Travel in its 2014 Innovation Awards, includes a number of features and content to help travelers plan and have the perfect trip. The free app is available in 21 languages and is available to download at the iTunes App Store or Google Play.

Key features of the TripAdvisor app include:

    --  Global content: Provides travelers with a comprehensive travel planning
        resource on-the-go with more than 150 million user reviews and opinions
        of hotels, restaurants and attractions, and more than 19 million candid
        traveler photos, covering destinations around the globe.
    --  Helpful features: Travelers on their trips can use the Near Me Now and
        Point Me There features to find nearby places of interest, read traveler
        reviews and see to dynamic maps of their location.
    --  Available offline: Travelers may use City Guides anywhere with no data
        connection required to go on self-guided walking tours, and they may
        also use Trip Journal to add photos or comments to capture the
        highlights of their trip.
    --  Booking on-the-go: The TripAdvisor mobile app provides access to the
        site's Hotel Price Comparison (metasearch), enabling travelers to easily
        compare booking options at a glance with up-to-the-minute hotel prices
        and availability.

While TripAdvisor launched the first iPhone and Android mobile apps in mid-2010, and the first native smartphone apps in 2013, the company continues to make improvements. Three recently launched enhancements are:

    --  Type-ahead functionality for improved local results: This feature lets
        users quickly access more locally relevant search results based on their
        location.
    --  Google single sign on: Allows Android users to more quickly and easily
        log in to their TripAdvisor accounts using their Google accounts, and it
        also lets users automatically download the app if they have created an
        account on desktop.
    --  See your saves on the map: This feature allows users to see places they
        have saved on the map with other points of interest, which helps
        travelers select the restaurants and attractions closest to their saved
        places.

(1)Source: Distimo study of mobile app downloads in the travel sector for the period of January 1, 2012 to March 31, 2014, based on downloads and device installs.

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor(®) is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travellers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travellers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching more than 260 million unique monthly visitors** in 2013, and more than 150 million reviews and opinions covering more than 3.7 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 38 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to millions of monthly TripAdvisor visitors.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 20 other travel media brands: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com, www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.virtualtourist.com, and www.kuxun.cn.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, December 2013

**Source: Google Analytics, worldwide data, July 2013

SOURCE TripAdvisor

SOURCE: TripAdvisor