It’s official, this National Pet Month, self-catering specialist cottages.com has revealed that doggies (and their owners) are opting for the north of England over the south, for their pawcation this year. The data also shows that 41% of people holidaying with cottages.com are taking one pet or more with them, an increase of 9% compared to data from the same timeframe in 2022*, proving that doggie staycations continue to be a growing trend for us Brits.
Since the pandemic, the nation has become even bigger dog-lovers than they were already. As a result of this surge in dog owners, there’s little surprise to learn that increasingly more Brits have been opting to get away from it all with their four-legged members of the family.
In fact, in 2022, nearly two hundred thousand (172,477) pets went away with their owners on a cottages.com holiday. The travel company predicts that a further 17,000 dogs – making a total of 189,477 dogs – will go on a pawcation with them during 2023. The data also reveals that the most popular times of year for a pawcation is spring and autumn, with March, October and December being the most popular months to holiday with a pet in the UK.
So where in the UK do doggies (and their owners) like to holiday most? The self-catering specialist reveals that The top 10* locations for a Doggie Staycation in 2023 includes:
- Keswick (Cumbria)
- Whitby (Yorkshire)
- Happisburgh (Norfolk)
- Bridlington (Yorkshire)
- Warkworth (Northumberland)
- Scarborough (Yorkshire)
- Skegness (Lincolnshire)
- Seahouses (Northumberland)
- Matlock (Derbyshire)
- Beadnell (Northumberland)
Tom Bell, Vice President – Portfolio, at Awaze – the parent company of cottages.com said, “With nearly half of our bookings made by dog owners, it’s clear that taking a beloved pet away on holiday is becoming an important part of ‘how to staycation’ here in the UK. Location-wise it seems that dogs (and their owners) clearly prefer to holiday in the North of England, and understandably so. With a plethora of beauty spots such as Seahouses, Keswick and Whitby, among a few on the list, and a wide range of coastal and countryside locations boasting wide-open spaces to roam free, these are just some reasons why owners and their canine members of the family are opting for the North.”
The type of self-catering accommodation that appeals to dogs and their owners includes, cottages (57%) as the most popular option, followed by lodges (28%) and caravans (10%). Other accommodation including boats, apartments, chalet and pod (5%)** make up the rest of bookings for dog owners.
cottages.com offer a wide range of pet-friendly accommodation, including over 8,000 properties in its “pets go free” category. Guests may be required to pay a small surcharge for pets, and in other cases pets stay free
Photo by Pauline Loroy on Unsplash