Is travelling with pets a growing trend among Japanese pet parents?

A new survey by Japanese pet food brand CoCo Gourmet of 1,021 dog owners nationwide in October revealed that nearly all (96.3%) wanted to travel with their pets. This is a 3.3% increase since 2022.

Additionally, the percentage of Japanese pet owners who have already traveled with their dogs jumped from 70% to 82%.

Despite rising travel expenses, 84.5% of respondents indicated a strong commitment to continuing to plan pet-inclusive trips. Spending on pets during travel has also increased, with the proportion of owners spending over JPY 10,000 ($65.03/€61.98) per trip growing from 37.9% to 50.6%.

Transportation preferences

Private cars remain the dominant mode of transport for Japanese pet owners, favored by 94.3% of respondents, followed by trains (9%) and the Shinkansen or bullet train (8.8%).

Preference for airplanes decreased from 3.5% to 1.8% in 2024, while camper van use increased from 0.8% to 2.2%.

Demand for pet-friendly services

Most pet parents look for pet-friendly accommodations (94.2%) and restaurants (86.5%) at travel destinations. More than half of travelers (55.6%) also seek pet-friendly activities.

Furthermore, 44% value the availability of dog food services, and 32.8% appreciate provisions such as pet bedding, toilets and buggies.

The boom of gastronomic tourism

Gastronomic tourism—a travel trend emphasizing local food culture—seems to be gaining traction among pet owners in Japan. More than half (55.4%) of respondents expressed interest in experiencing it with their dogs.

Of these, 43.2% are interested in harvesting local specialty foods with their pets, 42.8% want to prepare meals for their dogs using local ingredients and 48.1% would like to go on gastronomy walks to explore food-focused destinations together.

A smaller percentage of pet owners also showed interest in factory tours (25%).