The Restarting Travel report from Barclays Corporate Banking found 92% of travel firms admitted to facing staff shortages in the past 12 months. Barclays quizzed 500 UK businesses in March, with 37% saying recruiting and retaining staff and travel restrictions had impacted business. 

Recruitment was the most serious issue highlighted by the survey, with respondents equating it to pandemic travel restrictions, which also registered 37%.

Barclays said prospective candidates “have come to perceive the travel sector as lacking opportunity and an increasingly unstable career choice”. 

The report added: “At 37%, travel restrictions have clearly been among respondents’ largest hurdles – although staffing and recruitment challenges comes in similarly near to 37%, and it is arguably the latter that has longer-term ramifications for the recovery and health of the sector.”

It continued: “The lure of a career in travel and tourism, including overseas travel, would normally appeal to the young and dynamic jobseeker – but a tough sales commission element that represented anything up to 60% of their salary, coupled with increasing insecurity in the present landscape, has seen an exodus of talent in recent months to other jobs. And as the sector has started to recover, the task of refilling these roles has remained difficult.”

However, the appeal of travel is still proving irresistible to some, with fam trips helping attract some back to the sector.

The report added: “Barclays is reporting from many clients in the sector that recent fam trips have had a significant impact on office morale and team spirit, bringing renewed enthusiasm back to the office.”

Other findings from the report show the sector taking action to overcome other challenges, with 39% securing additional funding to manage shortfalls and 37% renegotiating contracts. Similarly, 36% have considered alternative products and services and 33% have diversified suppliers.