Travelex creates 1,200 jobs globally in expansion spree

Foreign exchange brand Travelex has created and filled over 180 new jobs across the Middle East region over the past six months, and has created a further 1,200 new jobs internationally, it said on Tuesday.

The announcement follows a series of major new contract wins across the APAC, Europe, MET and UK regions as both the international travel and FX markets continue to strongly recover post-pandemic.

Travelex recently launched its 30th location at Dubai International Airport and inaugurated a new store at Al Doha Al Jadeda metro station in Qatar, as well as new mobile kiosks at Hamad International Airport, ahead of this year’s FIFA World Cup.

In the UK, over 1,000 new positions are being created across retail, wholesale and head office operations, including at London Stansted, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Belfast international airports, as well as two supermarkets.

Across the ANZ region, Travelex is creating more than 100 retail and head office jobs in cities such as Adelaide, Brisbane and Cairns. It will be launching more than 10 new stores in Australia and New Zealand.

In Europe, Travelex has won the contract for Cologne Bonn Airport, and is also set to expand its offering at Frankfurt Airport. It has also signed a further five-year contract with Zurich airport. It also launched two new concept stores at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol earlier this year. Across Europe, more than 60 new vacancies have been created to support this growth.

In Asia, Travelex is recruiting over 50 roles across Singapore and Malaysia as airport terminals re-open. It has signed a two-year contract extension with Singapore Changi Airport, and will be reactivating its stores at Changi Terminal 2. It is also expanding its store network at Kuala Lumpur International and Penang International airports. As Japan re-opens borders, the company’s wholesale and partners businesses continue to expand, with over 55 new bank and corporate customers being onboarded over the past 12 months.

In Brazil, it created and filled more than 150 jobs over the last six months.

Travelex’s growth across all its international markets comes amid a strong recovery for the global travel industry: APAC airlines recorded a 272.9 per cent jump in passenger numbers in April compared to the same period last year, whilst in Europe aviation capacity is now at 88 per cent of 2019 levels. In the Middle East, airline traffic was up in March 245.8 per cent over the same period last year.

Travelex was once owned by UAE-based businessman B.R. Shetty, who also owned UAE Exchange and hospital chain NMC.