jobfacts

Travel agency managers and proprietors

SOC 2020 1225

Travel agency managers and proprietors plan, organise, direct and co-ordinate the resources and activities of travel agencies and booking offices.

Also calledManagerBranch managerOwnerTravel agency managerTourist information managerTours managerand 9 more titles
Typical full-time pay£35,1002025 Provisional
People in the job10,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month60↑ 25%on last year · 400th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025
What full-time travel agency managers and proprietors earn, 2025
£35,100 typicaln/ptop 10%
n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less thanNot published
Lowest 20% earn less thanNot published
25%Not published
Median£35,100
75%Not published
Top 20% earn more thanNot published
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £35,100
North West!£34,600
North EastNot published by ONS–
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS–
East MidlandsNot published by ONS–
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
East of EnglandNot published by ONS–
LondonNot published by ONS–
South EastNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
ScotlandNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £35,100
North West£34,600 (small sample)
North EastNot published by ONS
Yorkshire and The HumberNot published by ONS
East MidlandsNot published by ONS
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
East of EnglandNot published by ONS
LondonNot published by ONS
South EastNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
ScotlandNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £34,000
  • 2024 £36,000
  • 2025 Provisional£35,100
↑ 3.3% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 60 jobs for travel agency managers and proprietors are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (4 in all)
Show as table
Aug 2026Not published
Jul 202647
Jun 202649
May 202663
Apr 202629
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 202654
Jan 202643
Dec 202551
Nov 202596
Oct 202597
Sept 202571
Aug 202589
Jul 2025Not published
Jun 2025Not published
May 202571
Apr 202570
Mar 202583
Feb 202571
Jan 202545
Dec 202431
Nov 202422
Oct 202447
Sept 202446
Aug 202444
Jul 202440
Jun 202458
May 202454
Apr 202455
Mar 202445
Feb 202438
Jan 202464
Dec 202335
Nov 202345
Oct 202345
Sept 202341
Aug 202337
Jul 202366
Jun 2023128
May 202382
Apr 202393
Mar 2023101
Feb 2023147
Jan 2023239
Dec 2022214
Nov 2022237
Oct 2022246
Sept 2022263
Aug 2022228
Jul 2022184
Jun 2022139
May 2022140
Apr 2022135
Mar 2022166
Feb 2022134
Jan 2022137
Dec 202128
Nov 202163
Oct 202145
Sept 202157
Aug 202158
Jul 202133
Jun 202151
May 202142
Apr 202142
Mar 202172
Feb 202115
Jan 202116
Dec 202020
Nov 202016
Oct 202018
Sept 202022
Aug 202012
Jul 202015
Jun 202016
May 202028
Apr 202035
Mar 202073
Feb 202098
Jan 202096
Dec 201971
Nov 201994
Oct 2019125
Sept 201987
Aug 2019114
Jul 2019138
Jun 2019153
May 2019181
Apr 201968
Mar 201963
Feb 201972
Jan 201995
Dec 201852
Nov 201856
Oct 201894
Sept 201894
Aug 201897
Jul 201886
Jun 2018110
May 201898
Apr 201883
Mar 201890
Feb 201892
Jan 201888
Dec 201764
Nov 201783
Oct 201780
Sept 201784
Aug 201794
Jul 201777
Jun 2017101
May 201787
Apr 2017104
Mar 2017114
Feb 2017115
Jan 2017172
Is there a shortage of travel agency managers and proprietors?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthUsual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedUsual
Note: uncertainty in change in hourly wage.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
46%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for managers and proprietors in hospitality and leisure services, which includes travel agency managers and proprietors. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London45
Manchester10
Windsor and Maidenhead8
Test Valley7
North Yorkshire5
Cheshire East5
Cotswold4
Buckinghamshire4
City of Edinburgh3
Derbyshire Dales3
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where travel agency managers and proprietors are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. Fewer than 10 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
WomenToo few in the survey to give a reliable figure
Age of travel agency managers and proprietors
n/p
41%!
25%!
n/p
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
35–44Not published
45–5441% (small sample)
55–6425% (small sample)
65+Not published
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent!44%
Higher education below degree–
Not published
A levels or equivalent!18%
GCSEs or equivalent!27%
Other qualifications–
Not published
No qualifications–
Not published
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent44% (small sample)
Higher education below degreeNot published
A levels or equivalent18% (small sample)
GCSEs or equivalent27% (small sample)
Other qualificationsNot published
No qualificationsNot published

Main employers: travel agency activities (89%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
44%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
None
none leads directly into this work

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • plans work schedules and assigns tasks and responsibilities
  • co-ordinates the activities of clerical, secretarial and other staff
  • discusses client’s requirements and advises on road, rail, air and sea travel and accommodation
  • makes and confirms travel and accommodation bookings, arranges group holidays, tours and individual itineraries
  • advises on currency and passport/visa regulations and any necessary health precautions needed
  • determines financial, staffing, material and other short- and long-term needs

Skills

  • manage staff
  • train employees
  • create solutions to problems
  • handle customer complaints
  • manage budgets
  • recruit employees
  • comply with food safety and hygiene
  • coordinate operational activities
  • follow company standards
  • identify customer's needs
  • implement marketing strategies
  • implement sales strategies
  • maintain customer service
  • plan health and safety procedures

Knowledge

  • corporate social responsibility
  • customer relationship management
  • communication principles
  • customer service
  • geographical areas relevant to tourism
  • local area tourism industry
  • product comprehension

Suits people who like

  • Leading and persuading
  • Organising and following procedures

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for other managers and proprietors, a group of 22 jobs that includes travel agency managers and proprietors.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 43%about 494,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.3 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

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