Since the beginnings of the COVID-19 pandemic, the pet boarding industry hasbeen thrown into a period of uncertainty and loss. Businesses saw a totallystoppage of business during the initial lockdowns almost a year ago, and sincethen have suffered many ups and downs. Some areas of Australia have sufferedmore than others, but essentially the overall effect of these changes has beenthe same across the board.
The Australian Pet Care Association has been making contact with various keydepartments around the country to build awareness of our industries closealignment with the travel and tourism industries. The Senior Director fromVisit Canberra, Teresa Comacchio, responded directly to our lastcorrespondence regarding the inclusion of our industry in any discussionsrelating to travel and tourism.
Ms Comacchio was interested in reaching out to learn more about the petboarding industry in order to better understand the affect that the changes intourism and travel have had on us. We discussed the fact that the singlebiggest factor affecting us is linked directly to the stoppage ofinternational travel and restrictions on domestic travel during 2020. Whereonce people would travel overseas for weeks a time and book their pet in for aholiday, now families are opting for more localised travel which results ineither no pet boarding needed or very short stays by comparison.
In addition to this, business related travel has also come to a standstill,with people working from home instead of travelling across borders to conductbusiness. This has added to a loss to the pet boarding industry where manyregular clients no longer have the need for their pets to stay whilst theytravel for work.
Businesses are adapting in any way that they can, particularly by expandingother services related to pets such as Doggie Day Care, Transport or even DogTraining. The reality, however, is that it will take a significant amount oftime for these businesses to recover the losses, and they will feel theeffects exactly in alignment with those in the tourism sectors such asAviation for some time.
Ms Comacchio has provided some valuable information for pet care providers inthe ACT, saying “we consult with the Canberra Region Tourism Advisory Forum( https://www.canberraregiontourismleadersforum.com/ ) which is a freenetwork of individuals and organisations in the local travel and tourismindustry. Some of your members in this region may be interested to know moreabout their monthly events or receive their communications.” Please contactthe Forum directly on their website for further information.” If you havefurther questions for VisitCanberra on the tourism industry in that region, MsComacchio can be contacted directly at [email protected].
The APCA strongly encourages pet care providers in the ACT to investigatejoining and getting on board with those other industries who are heavily anddirectly affected by the current climate. For those in other areas ofAustralia, look to your local tourism department and enquire to see if theyhave a similar set-up. In many cases, each region will have a network that isfree and there to support those in the travel and tourism sectors.
Provided by Australian Pet Care Association (APCA) – Become a member with usat https://www.australianpetcareassociation.com.au/membership/application/ orcontact us anytime by emailing [email protected]
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