Hotel industry missing out on £39m pet-owner spend

According to research conducted by MORE TH>N Pet Insurance, over half of British dog owners are prepared to pay extra for a night’s stay in pet-friendly accommodation, but almost half claim finding such a property is too difficult and are forced to leave their pets at home.

A fifth of dog owners claimed they would be prepared to pay up to £25 more per night if their pet were allowed to accompany them, leaving 80 per cent believing their holidays were wasted after unnecessarily worrying about their pets at home.

With 31 per cent of British households owning a dog, MORE TH>N claims hotel operators are missing out on additional revenue.

John Ellenger, head of MORE TH>N Pet Insurance, said: “It’s a shame that pet owners’ well-deserved holidays are ruined by worry and guilt for leaving their pets behind.

“Pet owners view their dogs as one of the family so it is no surprise that our customers are willing to pay more to holiday with their four-legged friends.

“While there are many pet friendly hotels across the country, our research indicates that the UK tourism industry could be cashing in on the demand for pet-cations by providing more dog friendly options.”

The 2,300 pet-owners questioned deemed the UK’s most pet-friendly locations to be Scotland, Wales and the South East.