Surprising results! Last week’s article covers the growing demand for accommodation that welcomes dogs and the reasons why. Just repeating the headline from 2020, which has now seen added pressure from the mass adoption of pets in Covid, illustrates the level of interest. With 55% of global pet owners saying that their pet is as […]
Last week's article covers the growing demand for accommodation that welcomes dogs and the reasons why. Just repeating the headline from 2020, which has now seen added pressure from the mass adoption of pets in Covid, illustrates the level of interest.
With 55% of global pet owners saying that their pet is as important to them as their child/ren, it’s no surprise that 2020 looks set to herald a new era in pet-centric vacations. Travellers will put the needs of their pets before their own when it comes to selecting where to go, where to stay and what to do. In the coming year, 42% of global pet owners agree they would choose holiday destinations based on whether they can take their pets and 49% would be willing to pay more to stay at a pet-friendly accommodation.
A very short survey was sent to a random selection of 1000 property owners, including a low percentage of small managers. With an open rate of close to 50% and a survey completion rate of 14.8%, we were pleasantly surprised. Although not a large number of responses statistically compared to the market, the results were encouraging (to a degree) for our canine buddies.
The objective was to see what %'s do not accept dogs or do a tick box exercise and what % of owners go the extra mile. We expected 15% to be very "Dog friendly" and 15% to be tick boxers as it brings more bookings!
No doubt there are factors at play, the mailing list (which wasn't Passpawt's), the target: the leisure market, cottages, not urban and city apartments (although some crept in), the questions, the subject line etc. The results were very positive, with 44% serious about accepting dogs and probably very likely the demographic counted for this.
We would consider the 24% who tick the box and do not actively encourage dogs or proactively market to them to be less attractive to the dog-loving fraternity, who seek that reassurance that the property is genuinely accepting of their dogs. As dog lovers, we know that not everyone likes dogs, is possibly scared of them and often sees them as unhygienic creatures, influencing the owner's decision.
This Huffington Post survey shows an alarming number of children (37%) and adults (14%) scared of dogs, generally for no apparent reason! This may well lean into the 50%+ who don't want to accept dogs, and if they do, it's only to increase income and remain competitive in search.
The vast majority of people who don't accept or are "tick boxers" say it's down to the extra cleaning and/or mess left, but so many comments relating to rules, the odd "only bad owners, not bad dogs" comment, noise etc. A few said they prefer dogs to young children!
The vast majority of people added between £20 & £30, some slightly more, but nearly all per dog, per stay. Cleaning costs may increase, and there may be more need for diligence in the garden, so guests will also accept higher fees and naturally understand the concerns.
15% of respondents were happy to accept multiple dogs, and only a meagre % requested health documentation or only accepted small or short-haired dogs. These numbers could well be affected by the "tick boxers", who may want to end up in the search criteria and face the challenge of a dog arriving but are not as diligent on the listing and promotional aspects.
There is a lot of print about dog-friendly holiday rentals, and we have added a few here to support our goals of making sure dogs have great holidays too!
All you respondees in the yellow and grey slices above, we (and our dogs) love you and will do our best to bring you more business!