BARCELONA, Spain, Feb. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor®, the world's largest travel site*, today announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that it is, after Google Earth, the world's most downloaded travel app, according to download data for 2011 provided by app research company Distimo[1]. 

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080902/TRIPADVISORLOGO)

The TripAdvisor app was downloaded an average of 25 times per minute in January 2012 and has now surpassed 15 million total downloads[2] of the TripAdvisor app across all platforms and devices in 20 languages, making TripAdvisor the global go-to resource for mobile travel planning.

TripAdvisor has also announced its new HTML5 cross-platform tablet app, now available in the Android marketplace. This free app features a clean and simple interface, making it an easy way for travelers to access the millions of reviews and opinions on TripAdvisor. Travelers can see a list of top ranked hotels, restaurants, attractions and more in a destination and use filters to make quick comparisons and choices to meet their travel needs.

In addition, recognizing that over 50 percent of travelers intend to use their phones to find hotels, attractions and restaurants near their current location[3], TripAdvisor has launched a widget for the Android app, which loads a page on your mobile desktop to always show the nearest hotels, attractions and restaurants to where you are.

"TripAdvisor is focused on delivering the best experience to travelers on mobile and tablets and we're delighted to see that TripAdvisor is the most downloaded travel planning app in the world," said Nathan Clapton, vice president of mobile partnerships at TripAdvisor. "Mobile is a key initiative for TripAdvisor and we are constantly innovating with partners to develop features for mutual benefit."

Other TripAdvisor Cross-Platform App Features:

Map-based Browsing

Travelers can conveniently zoom in on an area for more details about the destination they are researching. The app also allows travelers to identify other nearby hotels, restaurants, and attractions for those looking to plan a complete itinerary.

Near Me Now

Travelers can quickly determine what hotels, restaurants, and attractions are nearby their current location.

My Saves

Travelers can save hotel, restaurant, and attraction pages so they can conveniently access them again for future reference.

Photos

App users also have access to TripAdvisor's more than 10 million brilliant full-screen traveler photos of the places they are planning to visit.

For conference attendees

Nathan Clapton, vice president of mobile partnerships at TripAdvisor will be at the TripAdvisor pod on the Android stand in Hall 8 (8C25) during Mobile World Congress. 

TripAdvisor has free mobile apps available for the iPhone, Android, Windows Phone 7, Nokia, and Palm smartphones, Android tablets, iPad, and a mobile website available for all major mobile devices. For more information, visit www.tripadvisor.com/mobile.

About TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor® is the world's largest travel site, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers 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, with more than 50 million unique monthly visitors*, and over 60 million reviews and opinions. The sites operate in 30 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to TripAdvisor's millions of monthly visitors.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 18 other travel media brands, and together the sites attract more than 65 million unique monthly visitors**. TripAdvisor's travel media brands include: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.independenttraveler.com, www.onetime.com, www.seatguru.com, www.sniqueaway.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.travelpod.com, www.virtualtourist.com, and www.kuxun.cn.

[1] Source: Distimo study of all mobile app downloads in the travel sector in 2011 across all 65 markets where data is available for Apple App Store for iPad, Apple App Store for iPhone, Google Android Market and Windows Phone Marketplace. 

[2] Source: internal data

[3] Source: PhoCusWright "Mobile hits the mainstream" report 2012

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, Worldwide, August 2011

**Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Inc. and its subsidiaries, Worldwide, August 2011

©2012 TripAdvisor, Inc. All rights reserved.

SOURCE TripAdvisor, Inc.