DogFest®: an event targeting the "Ultimutt” dog lover

Abstract

A dog festival represents a form of pet tourism where attendees can celebrate dogs and be equipped with dog management skills. Despite dog festivals' growth across the globe, little is known about attendees' motivations to frequent these events. This study seeks to identify if attendees can be differentiated based on their motivations to frequent a dog festival and to determine whether segments can be distinguished based on their socio-demographics, origin, information sources utilised and post-festival evaluations. Through applying TwoStep cluster analysis across five DogFest® festivals in Southeast Queensland, two segments are identified. Learners are motivated to learn about dogs whereas celebrators are motivated for entertainment. Learners rated the post-festival higher and had a smaller household size. Dog education should remain the focus with social and other fun activities provided to attract dog owners who may not necessarily be thinking about training allowing attendees who are attracted by fun to learn.