Average travel salary passes £40k as wages rise 5% in first half of year

The average salary for a new job in the travel industry surpassed £40,000 for the first time in the first half of 2026, according to the latest figures from C&M Travel Recruitment.

 

The recruiter’s 2026 H1 Travel Salary Index revealed that the average pay for a new travel role rose by 4.91% (or £1,910) to reach £40,829, up from £38,919 in the first six months of 2025.

 

The increase follows growth of 3.10% in H1 2025, 12.86% in H1 2024, and 12.58% in H1 2023.

 

C&M attributed the overall rise primarily to a higher proportion of candidates being placed in higher-earning positions.

 

One in five (20%) candidates secured roles paying £50,000 or more during the six-month period, compared to 17% in 2025 and 13% in 2024.

 

Standard travel roles paying under £40,000 saw a minor uptick of 0.46% to £30,931, following a 1.56% decline in 2025. Pay for standard positions has grown by 28.88% (or £6,931) over the past five years.

 

Conversely, average pay for senior roles (salaries of £40,000 and above) dropped by 3.68% compared to the same period last year, reversing a 7.39% increase recorded in H1 2025.

 

Overall recruitment activity across the broader travel trade presented a mixed picture between January and June. While candidate registrations increased by 8% compared to H1 2025, total new vacancies dropped by 23% and overall placements fell by 24%.

 

To assist trade employers, C&M has also introduced a free salary benchmarking tool, combining internal placement statistics with data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

 

Barbara Kolosinska, co-owner and managing director of C&M Travel Recruitment, 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.

 

“Salaries increased by 5% in the first six months of 2026, meaning that 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.”

 

She added: “With this increase in average wages, there are now many more attractive roles across the sector, which helps to explain the rise in new candidates searching for travel jobs so far this year. However, the falls in vacancies and placements remain a concern, and we will be watching these figures closely throughout the summer and autumn as they hopefully rise.”