More Asian pets become high-fliers going on holidays on jets
– Ding Dong and Fun Fun, a pair of 12-year-old Yorkshire terriers, know how to enjoy the high life – literally.
The pampered pets and their owner, Zoe Man, 43, flew on a private plane from Hong Kong to Japan for a five-day holiday last year. The terriers tucked into an inflight meal of grilled salmon and chicken.
Man, vice-president of a textile-and-apparel company in Hong Kong, plans two more trips by private jet this year, part of a growing number of owners indulging their pets on specialist holidays. Man spent over HK$240,000 (R361 109) taking Ding Dong and Fun Fun on the trip to Osaka, Japan last year.
Hong Kong travel company Life Travel, which organised Man’s trip, started flying pooches and their owners last year from Hong Kong to Japan, currently its only destination for these tours. On commercial flights, pets are carried in the hold. On its private jets, small dogs sit on their owner’s lap, while bigger dogs lie on the floor, Life Travel said.
Consumer spending on pets in China is growing at about 20% a year and will be a $7 billion market by 2022, market research firm Euromonitor International says. The pet market in the US is growing at two percent a year.
Chinese airline Hainan Airlines is testing a pilot scheme allowing travellers to bring small pets on certain domestic routes.
Life Travel organised three trips to Japan last year and is planning 13 in 2018 and 50 in 2019. It plans to offer trips to other countries this year.
Life Travel founder Raymond Chung said: “There is a huge market out there. We saw the demand and started a little earlier than others.” –