Pet Travel Services Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Pet Type (Dogs, Cats), By Travel Type (Domestic, International), By Application Type, By Booking Type, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030

Report Overview

The global pet travel services market size is estimated at USD 1.80 billion in 2022 and is expected to expand at a lucrative compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.63% from 2023 to 2030. The growth is propelled by factors such as increasing pet adoption rates & humanization trends, the rising number of tourists traveling along with their companion animals, growing pet-friendly traveling services & hotels, and increased enthusiasm among people for traveling after the pandemic lockdowns. For instance, Condor Ferries, a passenger & freight ferry service operator in the U.K., reported that over 53% of global pet owners take their furry animals for holiday travels and 37% of families are now accompanied by four-legged pets for a complete family trip. This rate has significantly increased by 19% over the last decade.

The COVID-19 pandemic has certainly increased pet adoption rates globally coupled with people spending more time indoors along with their new companions. For instance, in the U.K., 3.2 million households got a new pet since the start of the pandemic, with the country now holding 17 million pet-owning households. Around 59% of the entire U.K. population owns at least 1 companion animal and over 67% of them consider pets as their family member. This significant shift in the pet humanization trend has involved such beloved animals in travel trips as vacation buddies. However, the pandemic and nationwide lockdowns took people far away from pet-friendly traveling abilities owing to restricted services. Therefore, the market was negatively impacted in 2020 and early 2021. However, it quickly recovered after the ease of restrictions.

Post-pandemic has freed travel enthusiasts from the shackles of the locked indoors. This has increased both domestic and international travel counts with extremely positive growth. As per the survey results conducted by industry leaders, the upcoming years will show overwhelming opportunities for pet-friendly travel plans. For instance, as per Condorferries, over 50% of pet owners across the globe are intending to take their companion animals for travel trips in the current year (2023). The source also suggests that nearly 38% of surveyed pet parents reported that they would never travel without their furry friends. Similarly, according to the American Pet Products Association, 37% of Americans are travelling with their pets each year. These factors are greatly contributing to the market growth.

In addition, pet traveling businesses have expanded their travel services to several new places to meet the growing demands and needs for smooth pet transportation. The related services such as dog staycations and pet-friendly hotels, parks, cafes, and other places have simultaneously boosted the willingness of people to travel with their pets with the least concerns. In the post-pandemic especially in 2022, the bookings for pet travel have increased by more than a third comparing the pre-pandemic period. Key players in the market such as Pet Relocation are enhancing their strategic measures to overcome the challenges concerning airlines and ground pet transportation where the COVID-19 restrictions are still in place.

Pet Type Insights

The dogs segment dominated the global pet travel services market and generated the largest revenue share of over 60% in 2022. Numerous breeds of dogs are considered the best travel buddies as they are socially active, energetic, and are not stressed about spending long hours of journey. Most dogs adapt easily to their owner’s lifestyle patterns and are conveniently preferred for traveling. Across the globe, dogs are the most popular traveling pets with 27% of dog owners demanding more dog-friendly services. According to a survey study conducted among U.S. pet parents, about 61% of dogs enjoy traveling the country with their owners. In addition, the large population of dogs owned as a pet is another factor contributing to the largest share.

The cats segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR of 10.4% over the forecast period. Cats are the second most popular pets across the world, with currently over 220 million cats owned in households. According to American Pet Products Association 2022, around 45.3 million U.S. households own cats registering as the second largest pet population in the country. However, there are constant shifts in pet ownership in other regions of the world. For instance, as per European Pet Food Organization (FEDIAF 2022), around 110 million cats are owned in the EU countries followed by 90 million dogs. Therefore, rising cat adoption rates owing to their calm nature have also increased their traveling rates accompanying pet owners.

Travel Type Insights

The domestic segment dominated the market by travel type in 2022 and generated the largest revenue share. Widely growing pet ownership rates in developed countries have directly or indirectly increased the willingness of people to spend more money and time on their pet’s wellness & happiness. According to American Pet Product Association, pet expenditure in the U.S. has increased from USD 90.5 billion in 2018 to USD 123.6 billion in 2021. Rising grooming services, kennel boardings, and veterinary visits have increased the domestic transportation of pets within the local places.

As pets are often not allowed inside public transport facilities, now specially organized pet taxi services are in place to aid the requirement of the daily travels of companion animals. These factors are attributed to the highest share of the segment. On the other side, the international travel type segment is expected to be growing at the fastest CAGR of 10.3% over the forecast period. This is owing to the increasing number of foreign travelers accompanied by pets in recent years. In the U.S., it is estimated around 2 million companion animals are boarding commercial flights every year.

Application Type Insights

The transportation segment dominated the market by application type in 2022, and the segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR of 9.8% over the forecast period. This is owing to the increasing demand among pet parents for safer, cost-effective, and more convenient commute facilities to pick up and drop off their furry beings. Routine vet visits, grooming, boarding, sitting, and other vet care services have raised the daily pet travel needs in the present days, as the majority of owners are often carried up with personal work.

In addition, the rising admission rates in pet training schools have unveiled opportunities for day-to-day travel options for animals with specific cab or bus facilities. These factors have increased pet taxi services, which are expected to further propel the growth of the segment. On the other hand, pet relocation services are growing at a significant pace owing to the increasing number of pet relocation service providers in both developed and developing countries. Numerous travel agencies in the market that specialized in technical documentation processes before relocating have boosted the growth of the segment.

Booking Type Insights

Travelers across the globe are willing to pay more money for their leisure trips and family vacation plans accompanied by their beloved companion animals. After the COVID-19 pandemic hit the tourism sector hard in the past two years, the industry is bouncing back at the fastest growth recovery rate. According to the World Economic Forum, international tourism has increased by 182% in just the first three months of the year 2022 comparing the previous year. Travel agencies and operators have stated the massive increase in online tour bookings reflecting the high interest of people in relaxed traveling plans post-pandemic.

Therefore, pet travel services have registered a surge in online bookings in late 2021 & 2022. Moreover, bookings with pet transports have increased by more than a third compared to the pre-pandemic period. Pet-friendly hotels, cafes, and other properties have significantly increased their revenue by 30% after the pandemic with 27% more bookings as per a Freestyle blog article. These factors are attributed to the largest revenue share of the online & phone booking segment in 2022 with the fastest growth rate over the forecast period.

Regional Insights

North America registered the largest revenue share of over 37% in 2022 and dominated the global pet travel services market. This share can be attributed to the increasing pet expenditure and the presence of a large pet population respectively. In addition, a large number of advanced and convenient pet travel services offered by numerous players in the region is further propelling the growth of the market. For instance, the International Pet and Animal Transportation Association (IPATA) has over 50 pet travel providers registered in the U.S. & Canada.

Asia Pacific is anticipated to grow at the fastest CAGR of over 11.4% during the forecast period. The rising interest among people in adopting companion animals and the growing disposable income expands the region’s pet care expenditure. In addition, the rapid advancement in tourism in countries such as China, India, South Korea, and Japan is expected to propel market growth. Moreover, the growing presence of pet taxi services in developing countries is boosting the market opportunity.

Key Companies & Market Share Insights

The market is highly competitive and fragmented with the presence of a large number of players. Some major companies in the market such as Airpets International and Pets Abroad UK have been transporting pets for over 30 to 50 years with several ranges of domestic and international travel plans. Aeropets Worldwide has relocated 38,620 pets from over 100 countries since its establishment in 2003. Some prominent players in the global pet travel services market include:

• Airpets International

• Air Animal, Inc.

• Happy Tails Travel, Inc.

• Royal Paws

• Blue Collar Pet Transport

• Citizen Shipper

• Starwood Pet Travel

• World Care Pet Transport, LLC

• PetRelocation, Inc.

• Worldwide Animal Travel Ltd.

• All Care Pet Transport.

• Tails-A-Wagon Pet and Vehicle Transport

• Aark Air International, Inc.

• Across the Pond Pets Travel.

• Cargolution Inc.

• Fetchapet Ltd.

• Flypets UK

• Aeropets Worldwide

• Petport

• Jet Pet Global

Pet Travel Services Market Report Scope

Global Pet Travel Services Market Segmentation

This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional & country levels and provides an analysis of the latest industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2018 to 2030. For this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global pet travel services market report based on pet type, travel type, application type, booking type, and region:

• Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

  • Dogs

  • Cats

  • Others

• Travel Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

  • Domestic

  • International

• Application Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

  • Transportation

  • Relocation

• Booking Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

  • Online & Phone Bookings

  • Offline Bookings

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

  • North America

    • U.S.

    • Canada

  • Europe

    • U.K.

    • Germany

    • France

    • Italy

    • Spain

    • Rest of Europe

  • Asia Pacific

    • Japan

    • China

    • India

    • Australia

    • South Korea

    • Rest of APAC

  • Latin America

    • Brazil

    • Mexico

    • Argentina

    • Rest of LATAM

  • Middle East & Africa

    • South Africa

    • Saudi Arabia

    • Rest of MEA