All over the world, the tourism sector is increasingly aware of the needs of pet owners who want the best for their animal companion when travelling. More people are bringing their pets with them on holiday trips and will not hesitate to pay more to ensure that their cat or pooch can go on vacation with them.
According to a survey by TripAdvisor, 52% of pet owners say they only stay at pet-friendly establishments while nearly one in five masters (22%) dread leaving their furry companion alone while visiting tourist attractions.
With this in mind, a number of museums around Europe have started to offer daycare services for dogs and other four-legged companions.
The Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia (MUVE), for example, which manages Venice's eleven municipal museums, has teamed up with BauAdvisor to offer a dog-sitting service for art lovers. To do this, they must book a slot on the BauAdviser website specifying the day and time of their visit to the museum of their choice.
Friendliest destinations
Once they arrive, a dog walker will come to meet them at the entrance of the museum and take care of their pet during their visit, all for a rate of €10 per hour.
Italy is well known for its love of pets. The Stampa daily newspaper estimates that there were 62.1 million pets in Italy in 2021, more than the entire Italian population (59.1 million). No wonder the country is often described as one of the friendliest destinations for dogs, cats and other domestic species.
Along with the museum initiative, there is a wide variety of hotels and restaurants that accept pets and even some suitable beaches aimed specifically at dog lovers such as Baubeach in Rome and Dogbeach in San Vincenzo.
Related News
- Brussels' surprising parakeet population: Colourful and controversial
- Camel or a Savannah cat as pet? Stricter rules imposed for keeping exotic animals
- EU regulation on domestic pets lacks effective enforcement
France, however, despite its 80 million pets, does not accept four-legged companions in most of its historic places – which is why entrepreneur and animal lover Laetitia Lacote decided to launch Patchguard, a dog day-care service on various Strasbourg tourist sites.
The principle is similar to that of BauAdviser: dog owners can leave their furry pal in a specialised room of 100 m² in the heart of Strasbourg while they visit the historic tourist spots of the city.
All they have to do is register via an admission form and present the dog's health record to take advantage of this service, whose prices range from €10 for one hour up to €45 for the full day (a total of eight hours).
