Travel and hospitality salary growth seen at 9.2% in FY27: TeamLease

MICE activity, rising interest in experiential tourism and increasing travel demand from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. The trends indicate stronger demand for talent across commercial, operational, customer-facing and technology functions.

Sales and marketing is projected to register the highest functional salary increment in the travel and hospitality sector at 9.9 per cent . IT and Finance follow at 9.4 per cent each, while HR is expected to record a 9 per cent increase.

At the role level, Business Development Executives lead salary growth at 9.9 per cent , reflecting the importance of revenue-generating talent as demand expands across corporate travel, MICE, leisure and experiential tourism. Guest Service Associates are projected to receive a 9.8 per cent increment, highlighting continued demand for frontline talent focused on guest experience.

Technology-related roles are also seeing stronger compensation growth. System Administrators are projected to record a 9.6 per cent salary increment, reflecting the increasing role of technology in supporting digitally connected operations and service delivery.

Among cities, Mumbai and Kochi lead the salary outlook at 9.3 per cent . Mumbai’s growth is linked to corporate and MICE travel, while Kochi is benefiting from leisure and wellness tourism. Bengaluru and Delhi are projected at 8.9 per cent each, supported by business, MICE and educational travel, while Pune is expected to record an 8.8 per cent increment.

Balasubramanian A, Senior Vice President, TeamLease Services, said, “Travel and hospitality is moving into a broader phase of demand-led growth, with MICE, experiential travel and emerging-city tourism creating new opportunities. The salary trends show that the sector is rewarding talent across the entire customer journey, from generating demand and managing operations to delivering the guest experience. Building this combination of commercial, operational and digital capabilities will be critical for sustained growth.”

The salary outlook suggests that compensation in the sector is increasingly aligned with roles that contribute to revenue generation, operational efficiency and guest experience as travel demand continues to expand.