Travel salaries rise 5% in first half of 2026

LONDON - EntSun --

• Wages rise at faster pace than in 2025
• More candidates now in higher wage brackets
• Candidates rise but vacancies fall

Travel wages rise again

The average salary for a new job in the travel industry increased by 4.91 per cent in the first half of the year, according to the 2026 H1 Travel Salary Index from C&M Travel Recruitment, which surveyed all new vacancies registered with the company during the timeframe.

The rise means that the average wage for a new travel job has broken the £40,000 barrier for the first time to stand at £40,829 – an increase of £1,910 from the first six months of last year. This follows increases of 3.10 per cent, 12.86 per cent and 12.58 per cent in the first six months of 2025, 2024 and 2023 respectively.

The overall increase in pay was largely caused by a greater number of candidates being placed in higher salaried roles. The number of candidates finding jobs paying £50,000 and above stood at 20 per cent in 2026, compared to 17 per cent in 2025 and 13 per cent in 2024.

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For standard travel roles (those paying below £40,000), wages increased marginally by 0.46 per cent to reach £30,931, following a decrease of 1.56 per cent in 2025 and increases of 6.78 per cent and 5.99 per cent in the first halves of 2024 and 2023 respectively. Pay for standard travel roles has risen by 28.88 per cent (or £6,931) in the past five years.

There was an overall dip in salaries for more senior travel roles (those paying £40,000 and above) with a 3.68 per cent fall from 2025, following a 7.39 per cent increase in 2025.

Average salaries in the business travel sector jumped by 10.69 per cent (or £3,692) in the first half of the year to hit £38,236, after a fall of 4.17 per cent in 2025.

Mixed activity levels in 2026

The travel recruitment sector saw mixed activity levels in the first six months of 2026, with candidates rising by eight per cent compared to the same period in 2025, while vacancies slipped by 23 per cent and placements fell by 24 per cent.

Speaking about the stats, Barbara Kolosinska, Co-Owner and Managing Director at C&M Travel Recruitment (http://www.candm.co.uk/), said: "Travel has traditionally been an industry that people love to work in rather than necessarily a place to earn a great salary. But with wages rising for the fifth year in a row, the industry's typical paycheque is now much healthier. The average person finding a new travel job between January and June is now earning more than £40,000 – up considerably from £29,707 in the first half of 2022."