Tripadvisor Launches Redesigned Traveler-First Map Experience Powered by Mapbox

Rhea-AI Summary

Tripadvisor (NASDAQ:TRIP) has launched a redesigned map experience powered by Mapbox's location technology platform. The new implementation features the Mapbox Standard 3D basemap, offering travelers enhanced visualization with 3D landmarks, interactive icons, and customized map features tailored specifically for travel planning.

The partnership has already demonstrated success, with Tripadvisor reporting increased map engagement and positive impact on bookings. The new design deemphasizes vehicle navigation details while highlighting shopping and tourist areas, incorporating Tripadvisor's ratings and Traveler's Choice Award insignia directly on map pins.

Additionally, Tripadvisor has revamped its mobile app's 'Nearby' feature with a map-first interface, leveraging Mapbox's database of over 330 million global locations to improve the discovery experience for travelers.

Insights

UX & Product Strategy Analyst

Tripadvisor's Mapbox integration has already increased map engagement and positively impacted bookings through traveler-centric map redesign.

Tripadvisor's implementation of Mapbox for its redesigned map experience represents a strategic product enhancement with measurable business impact. The company has already observed increased map engagement and a positive impact on bookings - a direct revenue driver for the platform.

The core innovation is replacing generic navigation-focused maps with a traveler-centric design that emphasizes discovery rather than driving directions. This addresses a key friction point in the typical travel planning journey where traditional maps overwhelm users with irrelevant highway information when they're trying to understand proximity to attractions and amenities.

The redesigned experience leverages Mapbox's 3D capabilities and customization options to create information-rich interactive icons that display ratings and Traveler's Choice Awards directly on the map. This integration of Tripadvisor's core value proposition (trusted ratings) into the map interface creates a differentiated product experience that competitors using standard map implementations cannot easily replicate.

Particularly noteworthy is the redesigned 'Nearby' feature in the mobile app, which has shifted from a list-first to a map-first interface. This change has "significantly" boosted map engagement, which typically correlates with increased time-on-site and conversion opportunities. The timing aligns with peak travel season, maximizing potential impact on Q3 performance.

The partnership demonstrates Tripadvisor's commitment to product-led growth and user experience optimization, focusing on the critical discovery phase of the travel journey where engagement directly influences booking decisions.

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Mapbox, the location technology platform, today announced that Tripadvisor has adopted Mapbox for its redesigned 'traveler-first' map experience on web and mobile. Tripadvisor is the world's largest travel guidance platform, helping hundreds of millions of travelers find the best hotels, restaurants, and activities. The new Tripadvisor maps are built with the Mapbox Maps SDKs and showcase the latest features of the Mapbox Standard 3D basemap. The new map experiences have already driven an increase in map engagement and a positive impact on bookings.

Tripadvisor has already seen the new design drive an increase in map engagement and a positive impact on bookings.

The Tripadvisor team selected Mapbox to have more flexible control over map design. Most map providers design a default basemap that prioritizes vehicle drivers by emphasizing navigation details such as highways and road interchanges. For Tripadvisor's users, who are looking to discover and plan trips, this meant that default maps were distracting and filled with irrelevant information.

"We saw an opportunity to create a truly differentiated product, as most platforms are using generic, one-size-fits-all maps," says Sanjay Raman, Chief Product Officer at Tripadvisor. "Our goal is to build an experience that is exclusively tailored to traveler needs, which requires a partner that offers deep technical customization and collaborative design. Mapbox is the clear choice, and our partnership is essential to delivering a superior experience for our global traveler community."

Mapbox Standard map style blends elegant design and flexibility

Tripadvisor chose the Mapbox Standard 3D basemap as the foundation for its redesigned map experience. The 3D features in Standard give travelers a better sense of where amenities are in relation to major tourist sites. Beautifully styled landmark icons complement specialty 3D model landmarks, improving user orientation and engagement immediately upon opening the map.

Mapbox Standard is the most flexible 3D basemap available, allowing for fine-tuned customizations of map features including roads, land, water, admin boundaries, text labels, and point-of-interest (POI) icons. Using Standard, Tripadvisor can deemphasize features like roads and highways while emphasizing shopping and tourist areas. It can also apply an overall color aesthetic to make the map fit stylistically to its brand.

Mapbox also provides new options for custom icon design. Tripadvisor has transformed its previously static map pins into interactive, information-rich icons that include text labels, ratings, and Tripadvisor Traveler's Choice Award insignia, where applicable. The new map pins highlight the unique value that Tripadvisor offers by intuitively surfacing ratings and insights directly on the map.

"Tripadvisor is such a trusted, global brand and we share their obsession for what makes a truly delightful traveler experience," says Cherie Wong, SVP of Location Services at Mapbox. "The collaboration with Tripadvisor has proven that Mapbox Standard is more than just a map style — it is a foundation for highly engaging and immersive map experiences that adapt to user needs, from enriching travel planning to enhancing last-mile logistics, and so much more."

New 'Nearby' map from Tripadvisor significantly boosts map engagement

In addition to updating its core map experience, Tripadvisor also unveiled a new map-based interface for its 'Nearby' feature on the Tripadvisor mobile app, which helps travelers find things to do while they are at their destination.

"Our 'Nearby' feature in the app used to present travelers with a simple list and only a static, non-interactive map," says Jeremy Frisch, Product Lead, Places & Maps, at Tripadvisor. "With Mapbox, we flipped that dynamic to create a map-first experience, putting visual discovery front and center. Travelers responded immediately—we've already seen map engagement jump significantly."

Mapbox POIs like rail stations and convenience stores are displayed at high zooms to visualize what's around a Tripadvisor place, offering general context that improves wayfinding. Mapbox POI data is sourced from over 330 million locations globally, including stores, restaurants, hotels, and more.

Tripadvisor featured in Mapbox conference keynote on September 8th

Speakers from Tripadvisor take the stage at the BUILD with Mapbox conference on September 8th in the opening keynote 'Building the best maps in the world: A conversation with leaders from Mapbox and Tripadvisor.' The week-long free, virtual conference provides technical training sessions and showcases the experiences of developers and product teams building with Mapbox, including BMW, Tableau, Kraken Technologies, Delivery Hero, and more. Existing and prospective Mapbox partners are encouraged to attend to learn from the Mapbox community.

"Our partnership with Mapbox enabled us to build what we envisioned for our new map experience," explains Raman. "The technical and design expertise of the Mapbox team directly helped to shape our new maps into a uniquely tailored experience for travelers and made implementation significantly easier. I encourage any team with bold ideas about how to use maps more creatively and effectively to partner with Mapbox."

About Mapbox
Mapbox is the location platform for innovators. Headquartered in San Francisco, Mapbox provides developers and businesses with cloud-based APIs, SDKs, and data services for maps, navigation, and place and address search.

Founded in 2010, Mapbox leads development of the modern geospatial stack. Trusted by automakers, logistics providers, retailers, and app developers, Mapbox delivers scalable, highly customizable geospatial solutions that power billions of sophisticated location experiences worldwide. The platform is known for its built-in flexibility, elegant design, enterprise-grade security, strict data privacy, and developer-first documentation.

The mission of Mapbox is to enable every team to build exceptional, location-aware applications that delight users, enhance operations, and transform industries.

Learn more at www.mapbox.com.

About Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor, the world's largest travel guidance platform*, helps millions of people each month** become better travelers, from planning to booking to taking a trip. Travelers across the globe use Tripadvisor's website and app to discover where to stay, what to do and where to eat based on guidance from those who have been there before. With more than a billion reviews and contributions, travelers turn to Tripadvisor to find deals on accommodations, book experiences, reserve tables at delicious restaurants and discover great places nearby.

Tripadvisor LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tripadvisor, Inc. (Nasdaq: TRIP). The subsidiaries of Tripadvisor, Inc. own and operate a portfolio of travel media brands and businesses, operating under various websites and apps.

* Source: SimilarWeb, unique users de-duplicated monthly, July 2025.

** Source: Tripadvisor internal log file

For further information: northamericapr@tripadvisor.com

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SOURCE Mapbox

FAQ

What changes has Tripadvisor (TRIP) made to its map experience?

Tripadvisor has implemented Mapbox's Standard 3D basemap technology, featuring interactive icons, 3D landmarks, and travel-focused customizations that deemphasize road navigation while highlighting tourist areas.

How has the new Mapbox integration affected Tripadvisor's performance?

The new map implementation has driven an increase in map engagement and positively impacted bookings, though specific metrics weren't disclosed.

What features are included in Tripadvisor's new map pins?

The new interactive map pins include text labels, ratings, and Tripadvisor Traveler's Choice Award insignia where applicable, providing richer information directly on the map.

How many locations are available in Tripadvisor's new map system?

The new map system powered by Mapbox includes access to over 330 million global locations, including stores, restaurants, hotels, and other points of interest.

What changes were made to Tripadvisor's 'Nearby' feature?

The 'Nearby' feature was transformed from a list-based interface with a static map to a map-first experience that puts visual discovery at the forefront, resulting in significantly increased engagement.