On holiday with animals, a market worth 9.5 billion and could double

On holiday with dogs and cats. More than a fashion, it is now a way of life. Which also brings with it a market worth 9.5 billion and could almost double. Because animals "are part of the family and, in order not to leave them at home or in the nursery, people give up their holidays". Recounting this change is Jfc's research 'From pram to leash. The transition from 'children' to 'pets'.

The report recounts a change and an evolution that is not only linked to the fact that 'fewer and fewer children are being born', but that, as Massimo Ferruzzi, Jfc administrator and head of research, emphasises, 'animals are part of the family'. Just one figure suffices: in the European picture there are '89.6 million dogs and as many as 108.3 million cats as pets'. Animals that then have families that will look back on the holidays with special attention.

"Very often, in order to avoid leaving animals at home or in the nursery school, people give up their holidays," he says. "That is why it is necessary to look very carefully at this type of clientele. People who this summer prefer mountain and Apennine destinations in 35.4% of cases, and who consider Trentino Alto Adige the most pet-friendly region, followed by Emilia Romagna and Tuscany. Abroad, the favourite country is France, then Spain and Germany. The study estimates that this year Italians will spend an average of 12.1 nights away from home with dogs or cats, spending 22.2 euros more per day.

And that's not all: a total of 3 million 975 thousand households will take at least one holiday this year in the company of their pet for more than 73 million tourist presences, generating an estimated value of 9 billion 560 million euro. "Of course this is a market with much higher potential," the manager argues, "and one that could grow enormously to almost double.

In order to do this and thus follow the growth, for the head of the study a 'change of mentality preparatory to a change of pace' is necessary. Not least because, the study shows, four out of ten Italians renounce a holiday with their pet, and this is also due to a series of difficulties that our compatriots encounter at the very moment of booking. According to the study, only 10.7 per cent of Italians say they do not have any difficulties, compared to the remaining 89.3 per cent when planning a holiday with their pet. Because one has to deal with transport, access to bars or restaurants, or finding available green spaces and 'pet friendly locations'.