The White Paper on the Chinese pet industry for 2025 shows that in 2024 the number of Chinese urban dogs and cats exceeded 120 million and that the pet consumption market reached $30.2 billion, prompting the creation of a trillion-class “it economy” Blue Sea. With ageing and the role of the single economy, the role of pets has shifted from being “accompanied” to “family members”, and travelling with pets has gradually become an important symbol of the relationship between the quality of life and emotion of current young people and the silver-haired. In the context of the surge in demand, how to construct a harmonious new culture is of great interest to the beloved.
Cross-border services
The trip involves eating, living, walking, traveling, recreation, etc. In travel, buses and private cars are mostly used, although in recent years pet transport services in the air industry and railways have been frequently “new”. At present, national, South and Kawakawa divisions operate pet shipping services, and many have made new attempts in pet friendly services, such as sea, South and East. As the first domestic airline to introduce pets to the cabin, Hainan Air began operating the limited-conditioned small animals to the cabin service as early as 2018.
Railways are also being explored. On 10 April this year, the first national pet rail shipping service was launched. During the pilot phase, the pet high-terrestrial shipment service was able to operate 10 high-heats between Beijing, Chinan, Nanjing, Shanghai Rainbow Bridge and Hangzhou East Station.
In addition to some top-level and high-star hotels, a number of residential labels such as “Pet-friendly” “Pet-receiving” have been used as one of the important tools for attracting tourists. Flying Pork Population Data show that the search for related keywords such as “Pups friendly” “with pets” increased by about 60 per cent in the first quarter of the year compared to the fourth quarter of 2024. Data on residential accommodation shows that, since this year, the number of residential reservations with pet friendly labels has increased by 40 per cent over the same period.
There is also an increase in the number of people who have been able to open up the site and the site. Last year, the Shanghai Museum held the "The Top of the Pyramid: The Great Exposition of Egyptian Civilization" and held the "Mouse of the Meow Night" event, welcoming the audience to the exhibition with their pet cats. On March 22 of this year, the first pet friendly day in Haichang Marine Park in Zhengzhou was officially opened, and nearly 100 tourists entered the park with love. The scenery is moving from a “one-size-fits-all ban” to a “division management” that activates new consumption scenarios with differentiated services.
A new experience of tourism.
The blue sea of the traveling market attracts the active layout of the enterprises concerned. Currently, most of the leading pet tourism businesses are known to be concentrated in the cities of Beijing and Shanghai. The footprint of “sweet children” is becoming increasingly widespread on weekends around cities, on holidays within the country and even abroad. In June 2024, the pet tour worked with Blinger Yinghan to build the country's first private pet flight out of Thailand, and over 20 pet dogs followed their owners to Thailand for a week of fun.
In order to give pet dogs the opportunity to explore natural beauty and humanities across the country, the Beijing Lottery International Travel Agency Inc. launched a project in 2024 entitled “Show China”. In an interview with a journalist, its founder, Zhang Shao Peng, stated that, to date, he had travelled to Yunnan, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, etc. Despite the challenges of seasonal change and the adaptation of pets to the new environment, the project has won the favor of many pet owners through carefully planned routes and special care for pets, and the current repurchase rate of the project has remained relatively high.
“Whether in winter, in summer, in the sea, in the grasslands, or in spring and autumn, in the design of the journey, more or more pet-centred services are provided for the whole process.” Zhang Shao Peng said that more and more young people and newly retired people now prefer to take part in the pet tour.
According to Zhang Shao Peng, although there are still some issues such as denial of entry and hotel occupancy, there has been a significant improvement over the past. The public is becoming more and more receptive to the idea of travelling abroad. However, taking into account a wide range of factors, route design for travelling with pets tends to favour natural and ecological categories. According to the information received, during the first half of this year a number of people chose the “Pet-Friendly” routes that feature desert expeditions, beach surfing, ecological hiking and mountain climbing.
"Pet-friendly" ecology.
To travel with one another is not only a microcosm of the escalation of consumption, but also a test of the depth of the bond of affection and lifestyle, and of the degree of social civilization.
According to Zhang Sho Peng, during outdoor activities, the pets need to consciously regulate their own and their pets ' outdoor behaviour. Particularly in areas or destinations with elderly people and children, the rope needs to be kept as short as possible to avoid affecting other tourists. And after pet defecation, clean up in time. “When travelling, we will also remind parents to carry the sheets and household items needed to travel and not to give dogs the towels of the hotel, etc., to ensure that the hotel is clean and clean.”
It is worth noting that the growing demand for emotional values among modern people has also prompted many cities, such as Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Suzhou, to accelerate the exploration of “peet-friendly cities” and to continue to introduce policies to improve facilities and services. For example, in May 2024 Shenzhen Airport built the country's first pet terminal, using international experience, to provide cat-and-dog subdivisions and full-process services, and in Shanghai, which is known as the “walking ceiling”, there are not only free playgrounds, but also a number of pet-friendly shops.
Some of the players from different walks of life, including coffee, bookstores and hotel brands, are also in the game. Starbucks, the country ' s first brand of a chain of drinks to open a pet-friendly shop, intended to set up a pet-friendly shop in part close to parks, public greens and lakes. In May 2023, Ador, together with Petty Technology, launched the “House of Love” to create a pet friendly living scene. Part of the landscape, such as the Hangzhou West Creek Wetland, San Yaalong Bay, Beijing Olympic Forest Park, has also opened up pet friendly areas to provide pet carts, water points and lawns for activities.
From the cities to the countryside, from museums to the mountains, the footprints of “pure children” are widening their life radius. As more and more landscapes open their arms, as the fences of transport and accommodation fade away, and the blue sea with which they travels, a civilizational practice of respect, tolerance and solidarity is growing.