By Fi Morrison-Arnthal, Founder and Managing Director of Ambitions Travel Recruitment, placing leisure travel professionals across the UK, South Africa, and North America.
How Radar, Passive and Active Talent Are Shaping Leisure Travel Recruitment in 2026
2025 was our strongest year ever for placements across leisure travel, driven largely by repeat and referral business — despite it being one of the most competitive talent markets we’ve seen across both sectors.
As a specialist leisure travel recruitment agency, working with tour operators, tailor-made travel, safari companies, expedition and adventure travel, ocean and river cruise lines, ski operators, and UHNW concierge businesses, we saw a clear shift in how experienced professionals now engage with the market.
Rather than a surge in active job-seekers, we recorded a significant year-on-year increase in candidate registrations and social media followers. This reflected not more people looking — but more people choosing to stay visible.
At the centre of this shift is the rise of the Radar candidate.
2025 Leisure Travel Recruitment: Key Market Signals
Across the leisure travel sector, 2025 delivered:
- Our highest placement year to date
- Strong repeat and referral business from long-standing clients
- Increased registrations from experienced travel professionals
- Continued growth across global markets
- Selectivity from candidates at all levels
These trends point to engagement without urgency — a defining feature of Radar candidates.
Active, Passive and Radar Candidates — Clearly Defined
Understanding how candidates engage today is key to successful hiring.
Active Candidates
Active candidates are:
- Actively applying for travel and hospitality jobs
- Engaging with advertised vacancies
- Typically driven by timing, change or necessity
They represent only a small proportion of experienced professionals at any given time.
Passive Candidates
Passive candidates are:
- Not looking for a new role
- Not registered or engaging proactively
- Often high-performing and settled in their current position
These are candidates we have to headhunt.
As specialist leisure travel headhunters, we identify passive talent through deep sector knowledge, trusted networks, referrals and targeted search. They rarely respond to generic outreach and usually only engage when approached with something genuinely compelling.
Radar Candidates
Radar candidates sit between Active and Passive — and this group has grown significantly across leisure travel.
Radar candidates:
- Are not actively job-seeking
- Choose to stay visible to trusted recruiters
- Want insight into salary movement, holiday entitlement and progression
- Are open to the right opportunity, at the right time
You’ll often hear:
- “I’m happy where I am, but keep me on your radar.”
- “I’d move for the right role.”
- “Let me know if something interesting comes up.”
This behaviour is now common across leisure travel leadership, commercial, sales, product and operational roles.
Candidate Behaviour at a Glance
| Candidate Type | Are They Looking? | How They Engage | Typical Outcomes |
| Active | Yes | Apply for roles | Advertised vacancies |
| Passive | No | Headhunted | Senior & specialist hires |
| Radar | Not actively | Register & stay visible | Timed, well-matched moves |
Why Radar Candidates Matter in Today’s Market
Radar candidates have changed how recruitment works.
Many of the most successful placements now come from professionals who:
- Aren’t applying for roles
- Aren’t in a rush to move
- Want to be approached selectively and credibly
For employers, this means:
- The best candidates may never see a job advert
- Early engagement matters more than speed
- Relationships outperform reach
For candidates, staying on the radar ensures they don’t miss opportunities that never reach the open market — whether advertised or discreet.
What Radar Candidates Will Actually Move For
Across leisure travel, radar candidates consistently benchmark opportunities against three key factors:
- Salary progression
- Promotion or career development opportunities
- Holiday entitlement
These now go hand in hand and often outweigh other benefits.
Why would somebody who works in leisure travel not want to travel as much as people working in other industries? 20 days is pre-covid and 25 is now the expected minimum.
Culture, flexibility and brand still matter — but without clear progression in pay, promotion (or career development) and time off, radar candidates are unlikely to move.
Why Registration Matters — Even When You’re Not Looking
The rise in registrations reflects experienced professionals choosing to stay connected — not because they’re ready to move today, but because they don’t want to miss the right opportunity tomorrow.
For us as specialist leisure travel recruiters, this allows us to:
- Match talent at the right moment
- Support long-term career progression
- Deliver consistently for clients
- Build sustainable, trusted networks
The result was our strongest placement year to date. Register your CV here.
Attraction Starts Long Before a Vacancy Exists
In today’s leisure travel talent market:
- The best candidates are rarely active
- Visibility beats availability
- Credibility drives engagement
- Relationships underpin retention
Radar candidates understand this — and act accordingly.
Stay on Our Radar — Or Hire with Confidence
If you’re a leisure travel professional who wants to stay visible, informed and well-positioned for future opportunities, registering ensures you’re on our radar when the timing is right. Register here: www.ambitionstravelrecruitment.com
If you’re a leisure travel business planning your next hire, engaging early gives you access to talent others simply won’t reach. Get in touch with us now at info@ambitionstravelrecruitment.com
Related Reading:
https://ambitionstravelrecruitment.com/elevate-your-travel-career-with-an-impactful-online-presence/ | https://ambitionstravelrecruitment.com/confidential-job-search-gdpr/
FAQ’s
Someone who isn’t job-hunting, but stays visible to trusted recruiters — ready to move if the right opportunity comes along.
Active candidates apply. Passive candidates get headhunted. Radar candidates register and stay visible, engaged, but not urgent.
2025 saw a surge in registrations and social followers, not more job-hunting, but more professionals choosing to stay connected.
Salary progression, promotion or career development, and holiday entitlement. Without these, they won’t move; brand and culture aren’t enough.
Because your best hire might never see a job advert, early, credible engagement beats speed every time.
Register with a specialist recruiter, even if you’re not looking. It keeps you visible for when the timing is right.
Repeat and referral business, plus a rise in registrations from professionals staying visible instead of actively job-searching.
