Portugal pet owners face shortage in holiday boarding services

Pet owners in Portugal are facing significant challenges finding animal boarding and pet sitting services during the summer holiday season. Data from the platform Fixando indicates that approximately 80% of owners are unable to find available hotels or sitters. Demand for these services saw a 62% increase in July compared to the previous month, with a heavy concentration of requests scheduled for the first half of August.

Regional availability varies, with Beja, Évora, Portalegre, Santarém, and Viseu identified as areas with the most limited supply. In contrast, Lisbon, Setúbal, and Guarda show higher availability. Currently, the average cost for a pet hotel is 106 euros per week, while pet sitting services average 15 euros per day.

Regarding accommodation, a study by PriceLabs analyzing Booking.com data reveals a disparity in pet-friendly hotel availability across Portuguese cities. Alcobaça leads the ranking with 51.28% of hotels accepting pets, followed by Santarém at 50.66% and Viseu at 34.09%. Conversely, Funchal and Ponta Delgada have the lowest rates, at 10.47% and 9.77% respectively. This demand is driven by high pet ownership rates, as Portugal has the second-highest number of dogs per capita in the European Union.