UK-based business travel salaries are expected to increase by 5.6 per cent in 2026, according to data from travel recruitment specialist C&M.
The company has introduced a salary benchmarking tool that integrates its proprietary data with information from the UK Office for National Statistics, which it said allows organisations to benchmark salaries for various travel-related roles, including corporate travel consultants.
The average salary for corporate travel consultants in the UK has risen steadily since 2017, except for a brief 0.6 per cent dip between 2019 and 2020, according to the tool. In 2026, the projected median salary for corporate travel consultants is £32,235, up 5.8 per cent from £30,570 in 2025
Salary levels vary by region, with consultants in London earning the highest median salary at £34,592, while those in the Midlands have a median salary of £31,091, marking the lower end of the spectrum.
The tool enables companies to compare salaries for various travel industry roles, monitor salary trends and assess regional salary differences throughout the UK. Data is updated monthly to include information from the preceding month, according to C&M, which also produces a monthly Travel Salary Index based on market analysis.
Commenting on the launch of the tool, C&M Travel Recruitment co-owner and managing director Barbara Kolosinska said: "This is a challenging period for many travel companies with every penny being watched, so this is the ideal time to offer this comprehensive salary guide – for free – to all travel companies operating across the UK.”
BTN Europe conducts an annual salary and job satisfaction survey, which focuses on corporate travel buyers rather than suppliers.
The 2025 survey revealed corporate travel managers in the UK and Germany are among the best paid in Europe, earning an average annual salary of €79,182 and €77,536 respectively, up 1.5 per cent and 2.5 per cent year-on-year. Meanwhile, a lower average annual salary for travel managers in Italy (€40,770) reflects a broader trend of comparatively lower wages in Italy compared to many Western European countries.