Zeng Qingbin always plans ahead and has to make extra considerations for two special family members whenever he hits the road.

Over the past eight years, the 35-year-old from Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, has traveled across the country with his dogs — a Shiba Inu called Chai Chai and Labrador retriever Ba Bao — who he treats as his children.

They have made it as far as the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in the northwest of the country, Hainan province in the south and the Inner Mongolia autonomous region in the north.

One of the most unforgettable journeys was to Xinjiang in May last year, when he took the dogs to Sayram Lake in the Bortala Mongolian autonomous prefecture, as well as the region's vast grasslands and deserts.

"I had always dreamed of giving them free rein and having them run wild on a big grassland, with the snow-capped mountains in the background," Zeng said.

The trip lasted for two weeks. Zeng said he was tired by the end of it, but "everything was so worth it".

He got to spend time with his dogs in a setting that was very different from a city, and became closer to his pets.

"I got my first dog, a Shiba Inu, in 2017, a year after coming to Hangzhou for work," Zeng said. "I knew it would bring me happiness, and it did."

He felt guilty about leaving Chai Chai behind during the daytime while he was at work, so he got Ba Bao to keep the Shiba Inu company.

"They have accompanied me since I started trying to establish myself in Hangzhou, and they provide me with a lot of emotional support," he said.

Zeng began his career in real estate, and in 2020 decided to start his own tea business.

He works hard running the business, and gets a lot of comfort from Chai Chai and Ba Bao who run toward him and jump into his arms when he comes home.

"Their time with me is very short, so within my capabilities, I hope to create wonderful experiences for them," he said.

Prepared to pay

Zeng is among many dog owners who are eager to travel with their pets, irrespective of the expenses.

Most of the owners were born in the 1980s and 1990s, are well-educated and have higher incomes, according to a survey conducted in December by the pet industry data platform petdata.cn, under the guidance of the China Pet Industry Association.

Owners born in the 90s accounted for 46.6 percent of the total, 2.1 percentage points higher than 2022. Those born in the 80s made up 31.1 percent, up 10.8 percentage points, the report showed.

Last year, the number of pet dogs in China reached 51.75 million, a year-on-year increase of 1.1 percent. The number of pet cats was 69.8 million, an increase of 6.8 percent year-on-year, making the country the second-largest pet market in the world after the United States.

The scale of pet-related industries in China reached 592.8 billion yuan ($81.8 billion) in 2023, and is expected to reach 811.4 billion yuan by 2025, according to consultancy iiMedia Research, based in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

The rapidly emerging pet tourism industry has encouraged new players to enter the market.

For a decade, Zhang Wei arranged hiking trips, but in February 2022 he switched his focus to pet hiking tours.

"It was because of my dog. I had to leave it alone at home during workdays and again on weekends. It was sad, and I just couldn't do it anymore," said Zhang, 40, from Beijing.

At first, he took his six-year-old border collie on hiking trips whenever he had the time.

"I figured there must be other dog owners, like me, who want to blow off steam with their dogs in the outdoors, since the city is not too friendly to dogs," Zhang explained.

With his rich hiking experiences, he soon came up with a few hiking routes that owners and their dogs could tackle together. The outings were an immediate success.

Zhang's first WeChat hiking group was soon filled with 500 members, and more people requested his services through word-of-mouth. "Many people treat their dogs like children and have a desire to travel with them," Zhang said, adding that most of his customers are aged 20 to 35.

To date, he has about 5,500 followers in more than 10 WeChat groups.

Room at the inn

From day trips in suburban areas of Beijing to weeklong journeys to Hebei province and Inner Mongolia, Zhang has arranged about 180 pet trips. Each usually has two to five professional guides for groups of up to 30 owners and their dogs.

"Safety is of the utmost importance, and all the guides have been trained to deal with various emergencies in the mountains," Zhang said. Planning is made for emergency scenarios such as medical problems or dogs going missing.

Before a trip, Zhang's team members ask pet owners to fill in a form on their dog, such as whether it is obedient or if it gets along with other canines.

A hike usually lasts four to five hours and chartered buses are offered, with pet-friendly hotels and restaurants arranged for the tour.

Fun water destinations in Beijing's Changping district, and forest expeditions in Hebei province are among the most popular trips. "We usually organize two to four events a week, and each of them is quickly filled once they become available for bookings," Zhang said.

Hotels that cater to pets were among the first businesses to benefit from the emerging market.

Xiaozhu Inc, a homestay service provider, reported that searches containing the words "pets allowed" during the June Dragon Boat Festival surged 274 percent year-on-year.

Tujia, another homestay booking platform, reported that similar searches quadrupled in the two weeks leading up to the festival, and its amount of usual bookings doubled.

Huamei resort, a 4A-level tourist resort in the Changbai Mountains region in Jilin province, received its first group of tourists with pets during this year's Dragon Boat Festival.

Twenty travelers with 15 pets spent three days at the resort, enjoying activities such as a bonfire party, pillow fights, barbecues and rafting.

Wang Jianlu, a resort staff member, said nearly all the resort operations are now pet-friendly. A business plan to cater to pet owners, including dining, lodging, shopping, and entertainment, has been put in place, he said. In the future, the number of pet-friendly hotel rooms in the resort is expected to total 100.

The resort is also in discussions with the operators of nearby scenic spots and attractions that currently prohibit pets, to explore policies that allow visitors to bring their animals.

Although pet tourism is still a niche market, its products have considerable profit margins, Wang said. "The resort is very optimistic about the development prospects of this market and considers it an important business to develop in the future," he said.

Flying start

Public transportation authorities have rolled out special services in recent years to meet the needs of owners who travel with their pets.

Although pets are currently not allowed on high-speed trains, some railway operators have begun exploring the possibility of permitting small pets to travel under certain conditions. In May, the country's railway customer service center launched a survey to gauge passengers' opinions on the issue.

Airline companies have started to offer chartered services for owners and their pets.

In 2022, Zeng from Hangzhou noticed some airlines were offering pet-carrying travel services and he immediately signed up for one. In the past, he mostly took self-driving tours to mountainous areas in Jiangsu province, Zhejiang and Shanghai.

The first long-distance flight he took with his dogs was to Xishuangbanna Dai autonomous prefecture, Yunnan province, in January 2022.

Zeng said it was an unforgettable trip. He made friends with about 30 other dog owners during that journey, which lasted about a week. "Most of them were warmhearted and full of love, and we understood each other and looked out for one another's dogs," he said.

Airline companies like Shanghai-based Juneyao Air arrange pet tours once every three months, Zeng has noticed, while Hainan Airlines sometimes allows pet owners to take their dogs on flights but they must occupy the last row.

The price of a domestic flight for a dog ranges from 3,500 to 7,000 yuan and is double the amount for big canines, he said.

As he travels more with his dogs, Zeng said he is noticing significant improvements in pet-related travel services.

"Each time the check-in and boarding process becomes more streamlined, and the environment gets friendlier," he said.

For instance, previously he had to separate from his dogs to go through the security check and reunite with them after boarding. Now he can take his dogs directly on the plane.

"This is so much more thoughtful and humane," he said.

Overseas trip

On June 14, China's first outbound charter flight allowing pets landed at Shanghai Pudong International Airport after taking a group to Thailand. The flight was organized by a company called I Baby Go.

A total of 60 tourists and 18 pet dogs spent nine days in Bangkok and Pattaya and smoothly passed customs checks.

"They need to submit documentation such as a valid quarantine certificate issued by the official animal quarantine agency of the exporting country or region and a rabies vaccination certificate," said Yin Na, an official with the Shanghai Pudong Airport's customs inspection department.

Yin said a pet returning to China must go through several quarantine and health checks before being allowed back into the country.

"For non-designated countries or regions (not officially recognized by the authorities), a rabies antibody test report is also required, and you must go through the entry pet clearance procedures," Yin said.

"Pets with complete and qualified documentation and no abnormalities in on-site quarantine can be brought into the country by travelers without the need for quarantine."

A spokesman for I Baby Go said the Thailand trip was its first attempt at outbound pet tourism and more trips to South Korea, Southeast Asia and Europe will be planned.

Bounding ahead

Though domestic pet tourism is currently in its infancy and is a niche market facing many challenges, its impact and consumption potential are enormous, making it worthy of active exploration by the tourism industry, experts said.

Li Bin, a professor at Beijing International Studies University's School of Tourism Sciences, said cultural and tourism enterprises should go beyond offering boarding and care services for pets.

They should create more play areas for pets, enabling increased interactions between pets and humans, which is a crucial step in developing the pet tourism market.

Relevant authorities should establish and improve regulations and standards related to the pet tourism market to guide and foster a positive pet-friendly consumption environment, Li added.

Zeng plans to continue traveling with Chai Chai and Ba Bao, and has booked a trip to the Ningxia Hui autonomous region and Gansu province in September.

"I have long been interested in traveling, and having dogs has in some way fueled my wanderlust," he said, adding that the difference now is putting his dogs' needs first when planning a trip.

Zeng believes he will have more options when traveling with his dogs in the future.

"More chain hotels and destinations have offered nice experiences for pets, and even the outbound trips are now conveniently available," he noted.

"I will try and go as far as possible with my dogs and let them see what the world has to offer," he said.