In a country that has more registered dogs than children under the age of 14, it's no surprise that the number of pet-friendly tourist accommodations has also grown significantly over the past few years. The percentage of Spanish households where a pet lives is on the rise.
According to the latest study carried out by Veterindustria and the National Association of Food Manufacturers for Companion Animals (Anfaac), in a third of the homes in the country there is at least one dog; a figure that exceeds 50% if other types of companion animals are counted, such as cats, birds, fish, rabbits or reptiles
Despite the fact that the tourism sector does not have a global statistic that accurately specifies the number of establishments where pets are welcome, a few examples are worth noting to see how more and more employers are adapting the offer so that families can also travel with their pets.
On the Costa Brava, up to 70% of the apartments for tourist use and nearly 40% of the associated campsites have the pet friendly seal. "A decade ago there were far fewer, but the main difference now is in specialization, which didn't exist ten years ago," says the president of the Girona Camping Association, Miquel Gotanegra. A specialization that involves all kinds of services designed for the use and enjoyment of dogs, such as swimming pools, pipicans, agility circuits, bungalows, specific showers for pets, a nursery to leave them for a few hours while they owners do tourism and even a canine menu.
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 which from 2014 began to prepare the infrastructure so that dogs would be better than at home. "Every year we make a new investment", explains Jordi Sargatal, manager of the accommodation, owned by businessman Ramon Mascort. The star service this year is the fresh water pool in which Otto, the bulldog from Bilbao Itxaso Etxabarri and his family dives, repeating for the third year in a row; and Pino, a 12-year-old mix of a rabbit dog and a Belgian Malinois shepherd belonging to the German Claudia Thieli, who will stay with the dog in a trailer for three weeks. "The customer loyalty rate is very high", admits the receptionist Brigitte Riouah, who also notes how the Spanish public has grown 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 campsite for dogs that accepted people", he says ironically, and highlights the accommodation's proximity to La Rubina beach, which has an area where pets can bathe.
The entrepreneur Rody Van Egmon, who manages around 150 tourist apartments between the Costa Brava and Almeria, has also noticed an increase in the national public traveling 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 Holland or Germany, where no one is a stranger," explains Van Egmon, owner of the tourist accommodation Mas Pinell, in Pals. When he started in the sector twenty years ago, he was clear that he wanted to cover the pet segment because he considered that "it was a plus in the market".
Tourism managers recognize that the number of customers traveling with dogs a decade ago was lower than today. A change in trend and behavior that, according to naturalist entities, responds to several factors. "More and more citizens are realizing that dogs are not just pets or a mere accessory that you have at home, but another 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 something else", he adds, and remembers how for many years summer was the worst time for pets, since many were abandoned when the family moved away. I was on vacation. Ona Carreras, from the animal protector Anxova Peluda. de l'Escala, says that covid marked a turning point. "Before, many chose to leave their pet in residences or with relatives, now, on the other hand, it is less common." This is confirmed by Irene Elias, of the Park Hotel San Jorge, in Calonge, who points out that they are currently charging twice as much for customers traveling with their pets than before the outbreak of the virus. Pets, which pay a supplement of 15 euros per night. For decades, the hotel has allowed animals in its facilities, although the swimming pool and inside the restaurant are prohibited areas.
A survey by the protector Anxova Peluda of 300 adopters shows that two out of three organize their holidays with the dog. Even so, Carreras says there is a way to go. He explains that dogs of potentially dangerous breeds still cannot be housed in countries such as France or the UK.
