Traveling with pets has emerged as a new lifestyle trend. Creative activities such as charter flights for pet travel, pet-friendly flights, and taking pets to museums and exhibitions are becoming increasingly common. Reports indicate that as early as 20 years ago, Guangzhou began experimenting with pet travel tours. Today, many hotels, inns, shopping malls, and parks offer pet-friendly services, welcoming pets on trips.

Traveling with pets becomes a rising consumer hotspot

On the evening of July 27th, the Shanghai Museum on People's Square hosted"The Meow of Museum Night"for the first time, allowing visitors to bring their pet cats to view the "Ancient Egyptian Civilization Exhibition". This marked a global first for comprehensive museums. The Shanghai Museum will continue to hold nine more such events every Saturday evening.

With the continued growth of the pet economy, the number of travelers taking pets with them is rising. In early June, the first domestic charter flight for pets departed from Shanghai Pudong International Airport, with 20 pet dogs and their owners flying together to Thailand.

In addition to charter flights, airlines are increasingly offering pet travel services. For example, in 2022, Hainan Airlines introduced its "pet cabin" service, allowing passengers to bring pets into the cabin, including domesticated dogs and cats that meet the airline’s regulations. Currently, several airlines including Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, and Hainan Airlines offer services for pet transportation.

According to the "2023-2024 China Pet Industry White Paper (Consumer Report)", the market for pet consumption in urban China reached 279.3 billion yuan in 2023. Pet travel has become a new consumer hotspot, driving the pet economy to new heights. The emergence of "pet travel tours" reflects this trend.

From the perspective of those working in the pet travel industry, developing pet travel tours is an innovation amidst declining profits in traditional tourism. However, there are still many limitations and challenges. If tourist destinations, hotels, restaurants, and other related industries can introduce facilities and services suitable for pets, it could create a new industry chain, boosting local tourism revenue.

Guangzhou pioneered pet travel tours 20 years ago

In Guangzhou, traveling with pets is not particularly new. As early as November 2004, a travel agency in Guangzhou pioneered "pet travel tours", allowing owners and their pets to enjoy a pleasant outdoor experience on weekends. At that time, a day tour cost 68 yuan per person, with pets allowed free of charge. A pet doctor was even provided on the day of the event.

Currently, pet travel tours in Guangzhou typically last between one and three days and are mostly short trips. On a short video sharing platform, the most popular one-day pet travel tour by bus costs about 100 yuan for adults and 50 yuan for pets.

Moreover, many parks and scenic spots in Guangzhou offer pet-friendly services. Parks such as Luhu Lake Park, Ersha Island Chuanqi Park, Tianhe Wetland Park, Linjiang Liner Park, Youma Mountain Forest Park in Huangpu District, and Jingxi Ecological Park in Baiyun District are popular among pet lovers for their pet-friendly amenities.

中国：携宠物出游成新趋势

携宠出游已成为一种新兴的生活方式。宠物旅行团包机出境游、宠物航班、带宠物逛博物馆看展等创新性活动尝试层出不穷。记者了解到，早在20年前，广州就已经开始宠物旅游团的尝试，至今更是有不少酒店民宿、商场、公园提供宠物友好服务，欢迎携宠出游。

携宠游成新兴消费热点

7月27日晚，上海博物馆人民广场馆迎来首场博物馆奇“喵”夜活动，观众携带宠物猫一起看“古埃及文明大展”，这在全球综合类博物馆中开创先河。接下来的每周六晚，上博还将举行9场博物馆奇“喵”夜。

随着宠物经济的持续发展，携宠出行的旅客日益增多。6月初，国内首架宠物出境包机从上海浦东国际机场出发，20只宠物狗和主人一同进入飞机客舱，前往泰国。 

除了宠物包机服务，各家航空公司也针对性地增加了携宠乘机服务。据了解，2022年，海南航空率先推出“宠物客舱”关爱服务，允许乘客携带宠物一起进入客舱，接收符合规定的家庭驯养狗、猫作为宠物运输对象。目前，国航、东航、南航、海航等多家航空公司都提供小动物托运服务。

《2023-2024年中国宠物行业白皮书（消费报告）》显示，2023年中国城镇宠物（犬猫）消费市场规模已达到2793亿元人民币，其中携宠游作为新兴消费热点，正引领宠物经济向更高层次发展，“宠物旅游团”应运而生。

在从事携宠旅游的从业者眼里，在传统旅游利润见底的情况下，开发宠物旅游团是一种创新，但仍有较多的限制和挑战。如果旅游地的景点、酒店、餐厅等相关行业能推出适合宠物的配套设施和服务，或可乘势形成一个新型的产业链，带动当地的旅游收入增长。

20年前广州就已开宠物旅游团先河

其实，在广州，带着宠物旅行不算特别新鲜的事情。早在2004年11月，广州就有一家旅行社首创了“宠物旅游团”，让主人与宠物在周末尽情享受舒心的户外活动。当时一天游行程收费为68元每人，只针对游客收费，小狗属于免费携带，在活动当天还特配了宠物医生。

据了解，目前广州的宠物旅行团行程多为1天至3天的中短途周边游。记者在短视频分享平台上看到，目前最多人参加的乘大巴出行的一天游“宠物旅行团”活动，费用成人只需约100元，宠物占座50元。

不仅如此，广州不少公园景点也能提供宠物友好服务。麓湖公园、二沙岛传祺公园、天河区大观湿地公园、临江带状公园、黄埔区油麻山森林公园、白云区京溪生态公园等都是爱宠人士眼中的宠物友好公园。

文丨记者 黎存根
翻译丨赵凡
审校丨林佳岱