At this point of the year, last May Ecuador and with summer almost (almost) to stone shooting, it is likely that you have already thought about your next vacation. The usual thing: you decide where you will leave, how you will move, who will accompany you, how much you will spend and begin to take a look at the destination in case you need reservations inputs or excursions in advance. To those concerns more and more people Add another: what to do with your pets. And in a country where there is already Many more company animals That children is not a minor issue.
In fact that question is the key to a booming business.
On vacation with your pet? If you have a pet and you are looking for options not to leave it behind during your vacation, you are not alone. More and more people do it. A while ago the agencies investigated the issue and discovered that between 2019 and 2022 Google searches on accommodations that admit animals had shot 93%with 65,000 searches In the summer months.
In fact more than half From those consultations they started from people who seemed more interested in finding hotels Pet Friendly At any point in Spain that in locating them in a concrete city or province, which suggests that pets are key when planning the getaways. That interest also corroborates the travel agencies o Booking, one of the great platforms in the sector: in approximately 2023 eight million of people used pet filters while searching accommodation on their website.
Hotels with them or for them. To that growing interest in hotels Pet Friendly The one of the specific residences for animals is added, which according to the marketing agency generated 80,210 consultations on average in June 2022. And the trend does not seem to have declined. A quick search arrives on Google to find a Good handful of news that They speak of The high demand of the Canine Hotels, the diversification OF THE OFFER (WITH ACCOMMODATIONS “deluxe” for dogs) or how your activity He has shot with the Animal Welfare Law.
New demand, new business. That interest has not only promoted New businesses focused on taking care of pets while their owners go on vacation. The hotels themselves have decided to adapt. There is estimates They talk about almost One third (30%) of Booking accommodations support pets. If you are looking for a room for two people between August 18 and 24 in Spain, without specifying destination, its search engine showed 70,700 options on Thursday. When using the pet filter stays in about 17,400more or less 25%.
“They usually invest more”. A few weeks ago the Palladium Hotel Group gave a The country A key to understanding that interest: admitting pets can lead to certain changes in the operation of accommodation, but also has its reflection on the income sheet. “Travelers who choose accommodations Pet Friendly They usually invest more in their stay, whether in broader suites or additional services, which positively impacts average spending by host, ” Recognize.
Other companies have launched to organize trips and activities Designed so that the client can enjoy them in the company of their pet or have even gone further with bets more risky. Cruise Tails and Expedia Cruises of West Orland have organized A cruise that allows you to cross the sea In your dog’s companywith petroat service, hairdressing and veterinary on board.
Maybe it sounds strange, but a considerable percentage His pets already accompanied by people. And that despite the fact that airlines and companies in charge of operating railway and bus services do not always make it easy to travel with animals. Even the Imserso It has adapted To the trend.
More pets than children. That there are more and more demand and businesses focused on pets is better understood if a key fact is handled: in Spain there are more (Many more) Company animals that children. In September The world He pulled calculator And it came out that there are almost six furry companions for each child under four years. While the latter have fallen during the last decade to represent 3.7% of the population, pets touch the 10.5 million.
After contacting all the veterinary schools of Spain, The country contributed Another estimate A few months ago: at the beginning of 2025 in the country there were around 1.6 million cats and 9.3 million dogs. In total: 10.9 million censored pets, without counting reptiles, birds, fish and other species. From the Reiac they point out that the figure “is not real at all” (there are animals without chip and owners who do not discharge them when they die), but it is the one that approaches reality.
In any case, it clearly exceeds the number of children in Spain. In 2022 the INE counted 1.8 million about 6.5 million With less than 15 years.
A Milmillonario business. Their data is not the only ones that reflect the growing weight of pets in Spanish society. It is calculated that in 80% of the municipalities From Malaga there are already double pets than children and the first They already double to the latter. At an economic level that translates into a lucrative business of thousands of millions of euros. Estimates do not always coincide, but give an idea of their reach and how it has evolved.
In 2017 it was estimated that in the EU the pet business invoiced 36.5 billion euroswith the Spanish market occupying the fifth position. Since then, despite the fact that the sector has given some moderation samples, the figure would have increased considerably. ANFAAC talks about almost 2,000 million In 2023 and there are estimates that raise clear that sum.
Images | Yux Xiang (UNSPLASH) and Andrey Kremkov (UNSPLASH)
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