Pets and their owners enjoy leisure time together in Moganshan, Deqing county, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/Tide News]

Just ahead of China's National Day holiday, Amelia, a traveller from Shanghai, tapped her phone and booked a pet-friendly hotel in Moganshan, Deqing county, East China's Zhejiang province. When the holiday began, she checked in with her dog, a Samoyed.

Beyond the hotels, a growing pet economy is helping to reshape rural tourism. At the Xiazhu Lake Wetland Park, the Let Your Pets Play campaign is in full swing, where visitors collect stamps in a pet-themed passport to redeem gifts. Nearby, Ledao Island offers a dedicated pet lawn and water stations along the trail.

China's urban cat and dog market reached 312.6 billion yuan (around US$44 billion) in 2025, catering to around 126 million urban pets, according to the 2026 China pet industry white paper.

More than 70% of pet owners want to travel with their animals, and searches for "pet-friendly" having more than tripled year-on-year ahead of the holiday.