Travelling with pets… or not

Purpose- This study aims to evaluate a mostly overlooked part of tourism literature: the place of pets in pet owners' travel planning process and travelling. In this sense, the purpose of this qualitative study is to explore Turkish pet owners' perceptions of travelling with pets, and the reasons behind their willingness and unwillingness to take their pets on leisure trips. This exploratory study aims to examine factors affecting pet owners' willingness to travel with their pets, to understand their perceptions of travelling with their pets, to explore reasons behind the unwillingness to have holidays with their pets and to examine difficulties of making holiday plans as pet owners. Methodology- This exploratory research was conducted in the form of semi-structured and in-depth interviews with 52 pet owners in three big cities of Turkey (Istanbul, Ankara, and Izmir). Participants of the study were selected according to the principles of criterion sampling and theory-guided sampling, which are purposive sampling methods. Conceptual analysis as a category of content analysis was employed to code the findings and identify emerging themes. Findings- The willingness and decisions about participating in leisure and tourism activities with pets are determined by the bond between pet and owner, the value attached to the pet, and the pet's role in the family. Pet owners' demographic profiles and characteristics of their pets determine the type of pet ownership and also affect all decisions made about pets such as participating in leisure activities with pets and travelling with pets. The participants with higher emotional attachment to their pets had more willingness to take their pets with them on holiday. Pet owners’ decisions about taking their pets on holiday with them are affected by some constraints stemming from their pets, themselves, or other conditions. Conclusion- The results provide an understanding of pet owners’ travel planning and travel experience including pet-related constraints, negotiation strategies of pet owners, and pet owners' willingness and unwillingness to travel with their pets. Keywords: Pets, travelling with pets, tourism consumer, constraints-negotiation model, attachment theory JEL Codes: D10, L83, M31