Pet tourism: motivations and assessment in the destinations

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.

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.

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.

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.