Build a Travel and Tourism Listing Site like Expedia on a Budget

Expedia attracts nearly 14 million visitors a month (Ahrefs). Impressive, right? But here’s the thing, most people don’t realise that you don’t need a billion-dollar budget to build something like it. But why is that?

Let’s look at Airbnb,

The truth is, global platforms are built for global brands, luxury resorts, chain hotels, and big-name destinations. That leaves boutique hotels, family-run motels, adventure guides, and hidden gems buried under the noise.

This gap is your opportunity. With WordPress, Directorist, and the dPlace theme, you can launch your own travel and tourism listing site/directory that looks and feels like Expedia without the six-figure development cost. For less than $100, you can get a professional, fully functional Expedia-style hotel and tourism directory without breaking the bank.

You’ll learn how to:

• Highlight local and niche travel experiences that global giants overlook.
• Set up a fully functional directory with listings, bookings, and monetisation 
• Launch your site affordably, with hosting, domain, theme, and plugin costs under $100 
• Take advantage of seasonal and hyper-local search trends to attract visitors (Marketing ideas that won’t drain out your budget) 

What is a Travel and Tourism Listing Site?

A travel and tourism listing site is a platform that aggregates hotels, motels, attractions, tours, packages, cruises, flights, restaurants, events, activities, music, drama, adventures, etc., where tourists, vacationers, explorers, sightseers, backpackers, whatever term you use, can browse and book freely. Depending on the site’s offerings, you can enjoy different types of experiences.

Platforms like Expedia have 19.3M organic traffic as per Ahrefs. 18.1M, this affluent traffic comes from the USA alone. These are the prominent and global choices.

These portals are enriched with listings from world-renowned hotel chains, luxury resorts, and popular tourist destinations. Their algorithmic focus is serving millions of holidaymakers who are looking for standardised, globally recognised tourist destinations.

On the other hand, localised or niche-focused platforms such as eco-tourism guides, adventure-travel hubs, or small-town stay directories are often uncovered.

They remain tightly niche-oriented, spotlighting boutique hotels, family-run motels, hidden attractions, and unique experiences that global giants tend to overlook.

While they don’t attract the same traffic volume as large-scale sites mostly get, they emphasise authority by targeting travellers seeking authenticity and hyper-local value.   

Opportunities of Travel and Tourism Listing Site: How can small listings benefit from localised listing

Global giants like Expedia and Booking.com mostly dominate the online presence. They primarily feature big brands, luxury hotels, and top-tier destinations.

For small players like boutique hotels, motels, homestays, tour guides, or adventure operators, getting listed on these platforms is often expensive, competitive, and nearly impossible to stand out.

This is where localised and niche-oriented travel directories create a real opportunity. Instead of competing against global chains, small service providers can thrive on platforms designed for their region or niche.

• Visibility for the “Unseen” Players: A local directory gives them a dedicated space where they don’t have to compete with Marriott or Hilton to get a standout. That cosy mountain cabin, family-run ski lodge, or weekend adventure tour can finally shine where travellers are searching. 
  
• Seasonal & Regional Advantage: Travel behaviour shifts with the seasons. For example, during winter, heavy snow often blocks long-distance routes, reducing extended travel. Instead, people tend to seek nearby getaways — short drives, local adventure activities, and weekend escapes. A niche directory that features winter-friendly options like ski tours, snow cabins, or hot spring retreats is perfectly positioned to capture this demand.
  
• Hyper-Local SEO & Search Intent: Travellers don’t just search for “Hotels in New York” anymore. They look for “Snowmobile rentals near Lake Tahoe” or “Best cabins within 2 hours of Denver.” These long-tail searches are exactly where local directories outperform the global players, because they focus on specific, intent-driven queries.
  
• Affordable Visibility for Small Businesses: For a small motel or adventure guide, paying the high commissions demanded by global platforms isn’t sustainable. Local directories often operate on subscription models, low-cost memberships, or even free listings, making them far more accessible for small service providers.
  
• Matching New Traveller Preferences: Today’s travellers want authenticity. They don’t always crave polished chain hotels — they seek experiences. Local directories showcase what global sites overlook: the hidden vineyards, eco-friendly lodges, unique guided adventures, and rustic stays that provide cultural depth. 

Can You Build One Like Expedia on A Tight  Budget? 

Launching a travel and tourism directory doesn’t need a Silicon Valley budget. In fact, with WordPress and ready-made directory solutions, small business owners can start building their own Expedia-style site on a tight budget. So, what do you need to get started today? 

Technical Requirements

Here’s the lightweight stack you’ll need:

• WordPress setup – Free, open-source, and globally supported.
  
• Hosting – $10–20/month (a reliable hosting plan is enough for most starters).
  
• Domain – $10–15/year for your brand identity.
  
• dPlace Theme – A budget-friendly WordPress theme that comes pre-packed with directory features.
  
• Add-ons (Optional) – Extend functionality (e.g., booking calendars, advanced search filters) if you want to scale later.
  

And when you plug in a full-fledged directory solution like dPlace, you don’t just get a theme you get the backbone of a listing ecosystem: booking options, maps, search filters, monetisation models, and listing management all ready to go. For entrepreneurs on a budget, that’s absolutely a gift.

How to Build a Travel Directory on a Budget

Launching a travel and tourism directory doesn’t need a Silicon Valley budget. In fact, thanks to WordPress for revolutionising the way we build websites with an easy drag and drop builder. Small business owners can start building their own Expedia-style site at a fraction of the traditional cost. 

Here are the Technical Requirements you need to start building a WordPress website. 

• WordPress setup – Free, open-source, and globally supported.
  
• Hosting – $18–20/month (Hostinger).
  
• Domain – $6–7/yearly (Namecheap)
  
• Theme –  $59/ yearly ( Astra )
  
• Add-ons / Extensions – Extend functionality if you want to scale later.  

The WordPress directory plugin is designed to help you create any kind of listing and directory website with ease. With its niche-specific theme, dPlace, you can build a site like Expedia with versatile monetisation options with ease. 

Would It Be Costly to build a Hotel & Tourism Directory in WordPress?

One of the biggest advantages of WordPress is cost-effectiveness. Instead of paying tens of thousands for a custom-built platform, you can get a professional, scalable directory site live for under $100 

Approximately within $96 you can build a site like Expedia at any time without spending much on development and professionals. See, it’s that easy.

Interestingly, the dPlace theme and the WordPress directory plugin Directorist provide a full-fledged directory solution to create, edit and manage your site at your own pace. For entrepreneurs on a budget, that’s absolutely a gift. 

Marketing Plan for a Hotel & Tourism Directory ( If you’re creating a site like Expedia ) 

Getting started with a directory may seem challenging as you don’t have traffic initially. But there are quick hacks that will lead you to build a profitable hotel and tourism directory without headaches.

Here we outlined some of the ideas that are worthy of building your site up and running.
Add local hotels/tour operators with free listings.

• Add local hotels/tour operators with free listings. 
• Notify them they’re featured. (You can ask them to claim their listing to
  Edit and update the listings anytime with changes). 
• Run outreach campaigns to onboard small motels, adventure spots locally. 
• Offer nearby local events and festival calendar ( Weekend Getaways in California) 
• Run paid ads in Google, AdSense or display ads to get instant traffic
• Collaborate for partnerships with airlines, travel agencies, restaurants, e-commerce banks and fintech services    
• Publish sponsored content with local attractions or hotels. 
• Expand versatile listings to include rentals, guides, adventure gear, pet feeding and more. 
• Build a local travel community to strengthen loyalty and repeat visitors.  
• Host events like ‘Winter Festival’ to gather tourists and local citizens 

Is It Possible To Build A Site if You Don’t Have Development Skill? 

We’ll say, yes, why not?

It will become easier with Directorist and the dPlace theme. Directorist makes building a hotel and tourism directory simple and affordable. Instead of spending $20k–$50k on custom development, you can launch your site for $100.

It’s easy to use with WordPress, so you don’t need coding skills or a developer to manage listings, bookings, or monetisation. Add the dPlace theme, and you instantly get a professional travel-ready design, making it easy to create your own Expedia-style directory without the hassle.