In the country that has more registered dogs than children under 14 years of age, it is not surprising that the number of tourist accommodations that allow the presence of pets has also grown significantly in recent years. The percentage of Spanish households in which a pet lives is on the rise.
According to the latest study, carried out by Veterindustria and the National Association of Companion Animal Food Manufacturers (ANFAAC), in a third of homes there is at least one dog; a figure that exceeds 50% if other types of pets such as cats, birds, fish, rabbits or reptiles are included
Although the tourism sector does not have global statistics that specify the number of establishments in which pets are welcome, it is worth an example to observe how more and more businessmen are adapting their offer so that families can also travel with their animals. of company.
On the Costa Brava, up to 70% of the apartments for tourist use and close to 40% of the associated campsites have the pet friendly seal. “A decade ago there were much fewer, but the main difference now is in specialisation, which did not exist ten years ago”, says the president of the Girona Camping Association, Miquel Gotanegra.
A specialization that involves services of all kinds designed for the enjoyment and enjoyment of dogs such as swimming pools, pipi canes, agility circuits, bungalows, specific showers for pets, a nursery to leave them for a few hours while the owners go sightseeing and even a menu canine.
This is one of the star services of the Castell Mar campsite in Castelló d’Empúries, which has always allowed pets in its facilities, but since 2014 it began to prepare its infrastructure so that the pooches would feel better than at home.“ Every year we make some new investment”, explains Jordi Sargatal, manager of the accommodation, owned by businessman Ramon Mascort.
The star service this year is the freshwater pool in which Otto, the bulldog of Itxaso Etxabarri and his family, and his family, and Pino, a 12-year-old mix of Spanish hound and Malinois, dive. from the German Claudia Thieli, who will stay with the pet in a rulot for three weeks. “The customer loyalty rate is very high,” acknowledges the receptionist Brigitte Riouah, who also sees how the Spanish public has taken off in recent years.
Laura Artigas, from Moià, goes to the campsite for the first time with her two adopted dogs. “We never saw it as a viable option, but some friends convinced us. They told us it was a dog-friendly campsite that accepted people, ”she explains, highlighting the proximity of the accommodation to La Rubina beach, which has a bathing area for pets.
The businesswoman Rody Van Egmon, who manages some 150 tourist apartments between the Costa Brava and Almería, has also noticed an increase in the national public that travels with their pet.
“When I started, in 2002, dog owners here were very reluctant to travel with them, unlike what happened in other countries like the Netherlands or Germany where no one finds it weird,” explains Van Egmon, owner of the accommodations. More Pinell, from Pals. When he started in the sector twenty years ago, he was clear that he wanted to cover the pet segment because “it was a plus in the market”.
Tourism managers acknowledge that the number of clients traveling with dogs a decade ago was lower than it is today. A change in trend and behavior that, according to naturalistic entities, responds to several factors.
“Increasingly, the public has more and more internalized that dogs are not simple pets or a mere accessory that you have at home, but one more member of the family,” explains Cristina Ibáñez García, lawyer and coordinator of Anima Naturalis Internacional.
“Including them in our trips is a way of internalizing that they are one more”, he adds and remembers how for many years summer was the worst time for pets since many were abandoned when the family went on vacation. Ona Carreras, from the animal protector Anxova Peluda de l’Escala, affirms that COVID marked a turning point. “Before, many chose to leave their pets in residences or with relatives, now it happens less.”
This is verified by Irene Elias, from the Park Hotel San Jorge, in Calonge, who points out that they currently bill twice as much for clients who travel with their pets as before the virus broke out. Pets, which pay a supplement of 15 euros per night. For decades, the hotel has allowed animals in its facilities, although the pool and inside the restaurant are prohibited areas.
A survey of the protector Anxova Peluda to 300 adopters, shows that two out of three organize their vacations with the dog. Even so, Carreras says that there is still a way to go. He explains that dogs of potentially dangerous breeds cannot yet be housed in countries like France or the United Kingdom.
