The average salary for a new travel job topped £40,000 for the first time in the first six months of 2026, reaching £40,829, according to the latest figures from C&M Travel Recruitment.
This represents a 4.91% increase compared with the average salary of £38,919 in the same period last year.
C&M’s H1 Travel Salary Index reveals average salaries have grown year-on-year, increasing by 12.58% in 2023, 12.86% in 2024 and 3.10% in 2025.
C&M said the rise was driven by a greater proportion of candidates securing higher-paid roles, with 20% of placements paying £50,000 or more, compared with 17% in 2025.
However, salaries for travel roles paying below £40,000 increased by just 0.46% to £30,931, while the average salary for more senior roles paying £40,000 and above fell by 3.68%.
Recruitment activity was mixed during the first half of the year, with vacancies falling by 23% and placements down by 24%, although candidate numbers increased by 8%.
C&M co-owner and Managing Director Barbara Kolosinska 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.
“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.”
