Pet tourism: motivations and assessment in the destinations

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to perform an analysis of how pets in general and dogs in particular condition the planning and realisation of people’s trips. Similarly, the motivations that lead families to travel with their pets in Spain are analysed. Design/methodology/approach The methodology used in this research consisted of carrying out fieldwork based on surveys of 1,696 dog owners in Spain. The data analysis was carried out using a Partial Least Squares methodology (PLS-SEM) to test the relationship of the families with their pets, the motivations they have for travelling with their pets and the assessment of the destination by both the family and the pet itself. Findings The main results of this research focus on analysing how and when a family plans a trip with their pet, except for their second home, there are several motivations for both families themselves and their pets, which condition this trip and that must be considered by tourist destinations. Similarly, it is also concluded that the motivations are closely related to the attachment that the family has to the pet. Originality/value The originality of this research focuses on including the relationship of the family with their dog and the adequacy of the destination to the needs of their pet as motivation to make a certain trip or choose a certain destination.

An Analysis of the Demand for Tourist Accommodation to Travel with Dogs in Spain

“…Several studies have been carried out in different countries in order to analyze how owners travel with their dogs. Among these, the following can be highlighted: Australia [5,21], Canada [22], China [9,23], United States [3,6], United Kingdom [24][25][26], Spain [15], Taiwan [7,19,27], and Turkey [18]. This research aims to provide the results of a study carried out in Spain on this subject.…”

“…Traveling with pets is an endeavor that is becoming more and more relevant nowadays, which leads to the fact that there have not been many investigations carried out in this field of research. In the scientific literature, we find research conducted in different places, such as Taiwan [13], China [14], Spain [15], or the United States [3], although this research has been focused on different areas of knowledge. Mainly, the studies that can be found are focused on understanding the decision process that leads pet owners to include their pets in their tourism plans and activities, determining the motivations that lead them to make this decision, and their predisposition [13,15,16].…”

“…In the scientific literature, we find research conducted in different places, such as Taiwan [13], China [14], Spain [15], or the United States [3], although this research has been focused on different areas of knowledge. Mainly, the studies that can be found are focused on understanding the decision process that leads pet owners to include their pets in their tourism plans and activities, determining the motivations that lead them to make this decision, and their predisposition [13,15,16]. On the other hand, other research focuses on understanding the pet travel experience at all stages of the process, before, during, and after travel, and on understanding pet owners' perceptions of travel, providing useful information on the positive and negative aspects reported by people who travel with their pets [3,14].…”

An analysis of apartment listings in best destinations on an OTA: Thailand versus Japan

“…A destination is characterized by a combination of attributes. The unique and distinctive attributes serve as sources of differentiation in destination brand positioning and image (Hidalgo-Fernández et al , 2023; Hosany et al , 2007). Culture, history, landscape, services, relaxation, safety and so on are listed as destination attributes (Thiumsak and Ruangkanjanases, 2016).…”

Barks and bites: dog-friendly dining experiences

“…This is particularly notable in European cities, where dogs have long been integrated into public spaces, including dining establishments. This trend reflects a broader societal acceptance of pets as family members and is gradually being adopted in North American cities (BestLife, 2018;Hidalgo-Fernández et al, 2023;Joo et al, 2023).…”