An air of optimisim is returning to the travel industry, according to travel recruiters.

Last week, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) reported that the worst of the recession is over for the UK hotel industry and it seems that the travel industry is reaping the benefits.

Debbee Dale, director AA Appointments, told Recruiter:“There is a definite shift to the positive with regards to recruiting in the travel industry.

“The industry was holding its breath in terms of sales for the lates market and was fairly pleased with the outcome. People decided to go away on holiday after waiting till the last minute and taking the best deals on offer.

“For recruiters we are seeing more jobs across the sector, with business travel still being a little slower to pick up, but the leisure side that includes hospitality and cruise as well as tour operators and agents, is definitely looking brighter with cautious optimism to the year ahead’s sales.”

Nina Johnson-Bennett,managing director at Management Search Executive, says: “There is definitely an air of optimism and an increase in enquiries for senior hotel industry roles as well as the number of contracts signed. However, in terms of travel, other airline companies are cancelling routes.

“Which begs the question are jobs being lost when these routes are cancelled?” 

Claire Muge, area manager & West Midlands account manager at travel trade Recruitment, adds: “I am inclined to agree with PwC.  There is a general consensus in the travel industry that we are over the worst of it, but that it will take longer for things to return to ‘normal’ or rather pre-recession. 

“Certain sectors are booming and have had a good year despite the recession i.e. cruise and all-inclusives.  However, with airport departure tax increases and the trend towards people taking one good holiday a year, rather than a couple, 2010 will still be a challenging year for travel. 

“Likewise, corporate travel seems to have seen some improvement, but companies are still cutting back on their business travel budgets and this does not look likely to change in the immediate future.

“In terms of jobs, we have now seen an increase in the number and variety of positions available, though not to the level we usually see at this time of year.  The number of candidates for each role is still high, so it’s imperative that candidates make themselves stand out from the crowd.”

Naomi Pearce, recruitment consultant at Vector Resourcing, adds: “I have already noticed that many of my travel industry clients are now starting to look to the future and put in place new IT projects or ones that have been previously put on hold.  “This is an encouraging sign that the industry is in a period of change, a focus on investment in IT will put travel organisations in the strongest position to capitalise on the upturn as this gathers momentum.  It is no longer about surviving the recession, but how they will now move forward, which signals positive signs for the industry as a whole.”