By Fi Morrison-Arnthal, Founder and Managing Director of Ambitions Travel Recruitment, placing leisure travel professionals across the UK, South Africa, and North America.
Fi writes regularly on what moves talent in this sector. In Ambitions Travel Recruitment’s 2026 poll of leisure travel professionals, 80% said flexibility, hybrid working, hours, and remote options are the single most influential benefit at offer stage.
We make offers to leisure travel professionals every day. And it is at that point, when the offer is on the table, that benefits really come into focus.
Not during the job search. Not at the first interview. After.
When candidates are holding two or three options side by side and deciding which one actually fits their life, their ambitions, and their sense of what a good employer looks like.
So we asked them directly.
Our LinkedIn poll put one question to our network of leisure travel professionals: Beyond salary, what would most influence you to say yes to a new role?
The results were unambiguous.
And holiday entitlement? Zero per cent. Not because it doesn’t matter, but because something has overtaken it. The market has shifted, and the employers who understand that are winning the best people. Those who haven’t caught up yet are losing them at the offer stage.
We asked. 80% said flexibility. 0% said holiday entitlement. The market has shifted. Has your offer?
Why Did the Shift Happen, and Why Won’t It Go Back?
The shift happened because of the pandemic, and it is permanent. Before 2020, flexibility was a perk. An extra. Something progressive employers offered to attract a certain kind of candidate.
Post-pandemic, it became a baseline. And in luxury travel specifically, a sector built on relationships, expertise and discretionary effort, the implications of that shift are still not fully reflected in how many employers are constructing their offers.
The candidates we speak with are not asking whether a role offers flexibility. They are asking how much flexibility, and what that looks like in practice. The conversation has moved on. The question now is not “do you offer hybrid working?” It is “what does a typical week look like?” and “how much trust is built into how you manage people?”
For employers still treating flexibility as a differentiator rather than a foundation, the gap between their offer and candidate expectations is widening every month.
“Candidates are not asking whether a role offers flexibility. They are asking how much, and what it looks like in practice.”
What Does the Poll Tell Us, Category by Category?
Is Flexibility Really the Number One Factor?
Yes, unequivocally. 80% of respondents said flexibility, hybrid working, hours and remote options is what most influences them to say yes at offer stage. This is not a marginal majority. It is four in five travel professionals, consistently, telling you that how and where they work matters more than almost anything else you can offer.
What this means in practice is that even offering two to three days working from home is enough to materially change how your role is perceived. Full remote options, particularly for senior specialists in luxury touring, safari, and cruise, can unlock candidates you would otherwise never reach.
Outcome-focused management also sits within this category. Telling candidates you measure output rather than hours sends an immediate cultural signal that resonates strongly with experienced professionals who have other options.
How Important Is Career Development as a Non-Salary Benefit?
Very, more important than the 14% headline figure suggests. Development is rarely the immediate reason someone moves, but it is frequently the reason they started looking. Candidates in their second or third year with an employer who cannot see a clear next step are the ones who end up on our radar. By the time they are speaking with us, the decision to leave has often already been made.
The employers who retain their best people longest are not always paying the most. They are the ones with a visible pathway, a training budget, even a modest one, and leaders who are genuinely invested in growing the people around them.
Are FAM Trips and Travel Discounts Still Worth Highlighting?
Yes, but not alone. Travel perks attracted 5% of votes as the primary influence, which tells a nuanced story. They are genuinely valued. In leisure travel, the ability to experience the product you are selling is both personally motivating and professionally important.
But they are no longer enough on their own. The candidate who would once have accepted a rigid office-based role in exchange for a great FAM programme is now expecting both. Pair genuine flexibility with strong travel perks and a development pathway, and you have a compelling offer. Lead with travel perks alone, and you will find your shortlist shrinking.
Why Did Zero Per Cent Vote for Holiday Entitlement as Their Top Priority?
Not because holiday entitlement is unimportant, but because flexibility has overtaken it as the primary signal candidates are looking for. Our follow-up poll explored the baseline expectation:
The takeaway is that holiday entitlement is not unimportant; it is a hygiene factor. Candidates expect at least 23 days. Below that, you will lose people at offer stage without them necessarily telling you why. Above 25 days, you begin to add genuine value. The 0% vote simply means it is no longer the headline grabber it once was, because flexibility has taken that position.
Fi Morrison Arnthal’s view: “The employers winning the best people in luxury leisure travel right now are not always paying the most. They are the ones who have genuinely modernised their offer — flexibility built in by default, a development pathway that is visible and specific, and a benefits package communicated clearly from the first contact. If you’re not sure how your offer compares in the current market, that’s the conversation to have with your recruitment partner before your next hire, not after.”
What Does the Complete Benefits Breakdown Look Like for Travel Employers?
Our full Benefits & Perks Guide for Employers covers every category in detail. Download it from our website: Blogs and Free Resources. What follows is a summary of the categories that matter most, led by the one that matters most of all.
Flexibility & Work Pattern — The Non-Negotiable
80% of leisure travel professionals put this first. Not second. First. So it should lead your offer, your job advert, and your brief to your recruiter.
In practice, this means being specific: how many days from home, whether core hours are fixed, and whether you measure output or time at desk. Vague flexibility is not flexibility. Candidates have been burned before and they will push for detail.
The most competitive employers in this sector are also going further. A four-day week is a growing differentiator. A ‘2 Weeks Work Anywhere’ policy allowing employees to work remotely from another location for a set period each year is increasingly popular in luxury travel, specifically, resonating with professionals who chose this industry because they love to travel. It signals trust, modern leadership, and a genuine understanding of what your people value. Full remote options, particularly for senior specialists in luxury touring, safari, and cruise, can unlock candidates you would otherwise never reach. An outcome-focused culture, where performance is measured by results rather than hours, is one of the most powerful signals you can give.
Financial & Reward
Salary is the foundation, but the structure around it matters too. A transparent commission structure builds immediate trust. An annual salary review communicates that people won’t have to job-hop to earn what they’re worth. Sign-on bonuses, guaranteed commission periods, and profit share signal a long-term relationship. For the full breakdown of financial benefit options, see the Ambitions Travel Recruitment Benefits & Perks Guide.
Learning & Career Development
14% cited this as their primary non-salary driver, and that number understates its importance. Development is rarely why someone moves, but it is frequently why they started looking. A visible progression pathway, a training budget (even a modest one), funded industry qualifications (WSET, ABTA, IATA, Sabre), and access to soft skills training are all powerful signals. The employers who retain their best people longest are not always paying the most; they are the ones investing visibly in growth.
Travel Industry Perks
FAM trips, airline and hotel discounts, destination training, and annual travel allowances are genuinely distinctive to this sector. They are valued, but pair them with flexibility and development. Lead with travel perks alone, and your shortlist will shrink.
Pension & Security
Enhanced pension contributions, life assurance and income protection communicate long-term investment in your people. Most closely scrutinised by candidates in their 30s and 40s. Going meaningfully above the auto-enrolment minimum is a quiet but effective differentiator.
Health & Wellbeing
Private medical insurance, an Employee Assistance Programme, and a wellbeing allowance for gym, nutrition or mental health apps are now expected at the competitive end of the market. Their absence is noted.
Culture & Environment
Trust-based, no-micromanagement culture. Values-led leadership. Direct access to decision-makers. These cannot be put in a contract, but candidates feel their presence or absence within the first thirty minutes of an interview. In leisure travel, reputation travels fast.
How Should Employers Communicate Their Benefits Package?
A strong benefits package only works as a recruitment tool if it is communicated clearly, early and consistently. We see strong employers lose offers to weaker competitors not because their package is weaker, but because they failed to articulate it at the right moments.
1. Lead with your flexibility arrangement — specifically
Do not open your job advert with the role title and a list of responsibilities. Open with how the role works. “Three days from home, core hours 10–3, fully outcome-focused” tells a candidate more about whether this role fits their life than anything else you can say in the first paragraph. Vague language, “we offer flexible working”, is not enough. Candidates have heard it before and been disappointed. Specificity builds trust before the first conversation.
2. Be specific about everything else too
“Competitive salary and benefits” tells a candidate nothing. “25 days holiday, hybrid working three days per week, and a funded FAM trip in year one” creates a picture they can imagine themselves in. If your package is strong, say so, and say exactly what it includes. Our full Benefits & Perks Guide gives you the language to do this across every category.
3. Brief your recruitment partner fully
We speak with passive candidates every day. The more clearly you brief us on your flexibility arrangement and full benefits package, the more powerfully we can represent you, particularly with candidates who are not actively looking and need a compelling reason to engage.
4. Use benefits to handle offer-stage hesitation
When a candidate hesitates on salary, a well-deployed benefits conversation often tips the balance. Know your package well enough to reference it fluently, not as a last resort, but as part of a complete picture of what working for you looks like.
5. Make the offer letter do real work
An offer letter that clearly sets out every benefit, not just the salary, leaves candidates feeling genuinely valued. It is often the last thing someone reads before accepting. Use it.
6. Review your package against the market annually
The market moves. What felt generous a few years ago can quietly become standard, or below par, without your noticing. A brief benchmarking conversation with your recruitment partner costs nothing and keeps you ahead.
What Does All This Mean for Travel Employers?
For employers still treating hybrid working as a perk, something to mention if asked, a concession rather than a foundation, the gap between their offer and candidate expectations is growing every month.
The candidates we are placing at the moment are not asking whether a role offers flexibility. They are asking what flexibility looks like in practice. How many days at home? Is there trust built into the way people are managed? Is the culture outcome-focused, or is time-at-desk still the metric?
Roles that cannot answer those questions clearly, or worse, that offer no flexibility at all, are consistently harder to fill than roles with comparable salaries but more modern working arrangements.
Related reading: Is £12.71 an Hour Enough for Travel Industry Workers in 2026?
What Does All This Mean for Candidates?
If you are a luxury travel or hospitality professional evaluating an offer or considering whether to start looking, the poll data reflects what we hear in conversations every week. Flexibility matters most. But it is not the only thing.
Career development came in at 14%. That number understates its importance, because in our experience, development is rarely what pushes someone to look, but it is frequently what keeps them from staying. The candidates who come to us after two or three years with an employer are almost always the ones who cannot see a clear next step.
FAM trips and travel perks still matter. They are genuinely distinctive in this sector, and they are valued. But the candidate who would once have accepted a rigid role in exchange for a great FAM programme is now expecting both.
The Takeaway
If you are an employer, review your offer. Not just the salary, the whole picture. Flexibility, development, and the honesty of how you describe your culture. If you are not sure how your package compares in the current market, talk to a specialist leisure travel recruiter who speaks with candidates every day.
If you are a candidate, know your worth, and know what you are evaluating. Salary is important. But so is how you will be managed, how you will grow, and whether the role gives you the life you actually want.
We have published a full guide to benefits and perks in travel recruitment. The Benefits & Perks Guide For Employers is available to download at ambitionstravelrecruitment.com, including the complete poll data, a breakdown of every benefit category, and practical advice for employers on how to communicate their package more effectively.
Ready to attract exceptional travel talent?
Ambitions Travel Recruitment is a specialist leisure travel recruitment agency placing professionals across all areas of leisure travel, including, but not limited to, tour operators, tailor-made travel, safari companies, expedition and adventure travel, ocean and river cruise lines, ski operators, and UHNW concierge businesses in the UK, South Africa, GCC, Asia, and North America.
Looking to hire? Contact us at info@ambitionstravelrecruitment.com
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Related reading: Is £12.71 an Hour Enough for Travel Industry Workers in 2026? | The Ultimate Guide to Resignations | Counter Offers in Travel: Why They Feel Good…and Then They Don’t – The Real Story
Frequently Asked Questions About Employee Benefits in Leisure Travel
A competitive benefits package in the leisure travel industry in 2026 goes beyond salary to include flexible or hybrid working, a clear career development pathway, meaningful pension contributions, and travel-specific perks such as FAM trips and destination training. Based on Ambitions Travel Recruitment’s polling, flexibility is now the single most influential factor at offer stage for 80% of leisure travel professionals.
In a leisure travel job context, flexibility means a clear and specific arrangement, not a vague commitment. Candidates want to know how many days they can work from home, whether core hours are fixed, and whether performance is measured by output rather than time at the desk. An employer who can answer these questions precisely has an immediate advantage over one who cannot.
Based on Ambitions Travel Recruitment’s market data, you should expect at least 23 days’ holiday plus bank holidays as a baseline, 86% of leisure travel professionals cited this as their minimum. Beyond that, flexible or hybrid working, a pension contribution above the statutory minimum, and some form of career development support are now standard in competitive offers. FAM trips remain a genuinely distinctive industry perk.
Yes, and Ambitions Travel Recruitment would always encourage candidates to consider the full package, not just the salary. Flexibility, holiday entitlement, development budget, and pension contributions all have real financial value. If a salary is fixed, employers are often more flexible on other elements. Know what matters most to you before the offer conversation starts.
Not because holiday entitlement is unimportant; Ambitions Travel Recruitment’s follow-up poll shows 86% of leisure travel professionals expect at least 23 days as a minimum. It rated zero as a top influence because flexibility has overtaken it. Candidates now take a reasonable holiday entitlement as a given. What they are evaluating is whether the employer trusts them with their time more broadly.
The most effective lever is flexibility; 80% of leisure travel professionals cite it as their primary influence at offer stage, according to Ambitions Travel Recruitment’s polling. Beyond that: a visible career development pathway, a pension contribution above the statutory minimum, and travel perks that are genuine rather than theoretical. Communicate all of this clearly in the advert, the brief to your recruiter, and the offer letter.
86% of leisure travel professionals expect at least 23 days plus bank holidays as a baseline, based on Ambitions Travel Recruitment’s polling. 25 days is now effectively the market standard. Anything below 23 days will cost you candidates at offer stage, often without them telling you why. Above 25 days, you begin to add genuine differentiation.
