Ding Dong and Fun Fun are living the high life.
The two Yorkies are no strangers to luxury air travel, flying with specialist agency Life Travel inHong Kong.
No expense was spared when these dogs flew off to Japan for a holiday in a private jet, sitting in their owners’ laps and dining on grilled salmon.
On commercial flights, pets are usually carried in the hold.
On these jets, they ride in their owners’ laps or the aisle.
The five-day trip set owner Zoe Man back $30,000, but it was an experience she was happy to splash out for.
“We are like a family. It’s like I want to take my dad and mum on holiday, or go on a family holiday, it’s a very similar mindset,” said Zoe Man, a pet owner.
Researchers say consumer spending on pets in China is growing at a staggering rate.
The market is expected to be worth $7 billion by 2022.
It’s welcome news for specialist agency Life Travel, whose boss is offering more than a dozen doggie holidays this year.
“Dog owners have always wanted to go traveling with their pets, but there’s been no avenue, no way for them. So the purchasing power is there, the desire is there, and the dogs are ageing, nothing stays alive forever, so for the pets, it’s about creating those memories,” said Raymond Chung, Life Travel & Pet Travel founder.
For now, Life Travel’s customers can only take their canines to Japan due to quarantine regulations.
But global expansion is on the agenda — and soon pets with the right documents may be able to hop on a plane to Switzerland and North America from Hong Kong.
