Looking for additional ways to market your tours and draw in new customers? Offer dog-friendly activities! These days, it seems like more and more people love to travel with their furry, four-legged friends. 

In fact, 53% of American travelers take holidays with their pets according to Condor Ferries. 

The dog travel trend is booming. Dog-friendly hotels, restaurants, and even themed bars are popping up all over the world, especially in the U.S. If you’re looking for a way to take your experiences to the next level while reaching a new audience, follow these tips for welcoming Fido on future tours.

Make Sure Your Experience is Dog-Friendly

Allowing dogs to participate in your experience requires some planning. It’s one thing to love pups, but you have to make sure the activities you offer are inherently dog-friendly. For example, if you offer axe-throwing, you wouldn’t want dogs running around and getting in the way. Kayak tours, on the other hand, are the perfect opportunity for travelers with dogs!

If you’re passionate about your furry friend and want customers to bring theirs along, consider creating a special activity just for dog owners. For example, dogs might not be welcome on your typical city walking tour (especially if it visits locations where dogs are not allowed). Consider creating a city walking tour that visits the best dog-friendly restaurants, parks, and other locations in your area.

Create Guidelines About Dogs on Tour

You may be in a good position to allow dogs on your tours, but you don’t want it to turn into a free for all. For example, will you limit the number of dogs allowed to join each activity? Do customers need to tell you in advance if they’re bringing a dog?

In addition to the above considerations, it’s smart to include the necessary information somewhere on your website, like the FAQ page or activity page. Be sure to mention which tours are dog-friendly (if only some of them are) and note that dog owners are responsible for any damage to equipment caused by their dogs.

Also include a policy that dogs must be good-natured, well behaved, and able to get along with other dogs to attend the tour. You won’t tolerate aggressive dogs. Finally, be sure to state that service dogs always get priority, especially if there’s only space for one dog on the tour. 

Market Your Dog-Friendly Tours

On to the fun part! Spread the word that dogs are welcome on your tours. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Write a blog post announcing that dogs are now welcome to join in on the fun! Share a list of other dog-friendly businesses in the area where guests can go before or after the tour.
• Create social media posts with cute pictures of dogs to share the news.
• Ask guests to submit photos of themselves with their dogs enjoying the tour (another UGC opportunity!).
• Include the update in an email newsletter. 
• Create a banner on your website with a link where people can book a dog-friendly tour. 
• Email current customers and offer a 10% discount when they bring their furry friend to drive repeat business.  
• Put up flyers at local dog daycare and boarding facilities or veterinarian offices. 

Running dog-friendly tours is not only fun, but it also opens your business up to additional customers. To really go above and beyond, keep dog treats handy at check-in, leave bowls of water around for the pups to stay hydrated, and offer to snap photos of dog owners with their pets. You can even sell dog bandanas with your business logo at reception! Check out the related guides for more travel trends.