Pipper, the tourist dog, shows the dog-friendly destinations in the Basque Country
The Basque Government's Department of Tourism has launched its guide "Donostia with a dog" which, in a comic format, narrates the adventures that Pipper lives in San Sebastian and shows the resources that admit pets in the city and informs about the rights and obligations of travellers and their pets.
Pipper, the most influential tourist dog, and his human, Pablo Muñoz Gabilondo, from San Sebastian, are touring the Basque Country this autumn in a campaign by the Department of Tourism, Trade and Consumer Affairs to promote the new guide and dog-friendly resources. The popular dog "influencer" will star in a series of reports in various Basque destinations that will be shared on social networks. The journey has begun in Rioja Alavesa.
Pipper shows his followers the places that can be visited accompanied by pets, and promotes the integration of pets in transport, hotels and tourist resources.
Since May 2018, Pipper has travelled more than 100 destinations, 50,000 kilometres. He has become the first tourist dog to travel around Spain. On his travels he explores what families travelling with pets can and cannot do, and then tells his more than 100,000 followers on www.pipperontour.com and on his social media profiles. Pipper's tasks include disseminating the rules for pet access to public spaces, to promote good coexistence and also so that business owners know how they can facilitate the use of their businesses for new segments of travellers.
The importance of the segment of travellers with dogs for tourism promotion can be summed up by the fact that, in Spain, 1 in 4 households has at least one dog. For most dog owners, the dog is a member of the family and is taken into account when making decisions such as leisure or holidays. In the Basque Country there is a growing number of transport, accommodation and catering establishments that cater for this emerging user profile.
Protagonist of the new guide to San Sebastian in comic format
The visit has served to reinforce the Department of Tourism's strategy to promote tourism with pets, which started with the publication in 2018 of the guide and landing page Euskadi con Perro, continued with the publication "Ciudadano Can" focusing on the resources of Vitoria-Gasteiz and is now focusing on the places accessible to tourists travelling with their pets in the city of San Sebastian.
Pipper is the protagonist of a new publication in comic format edited by Basquetour and entitled "Donostia with a dog". The comic is a continuation of a series of graphic novels "The Adventures of Pipper", published by Alfaguara, which promotes the integration of educated pets in public spaces and responsible pet ownership.
In the comic dedicated to Donostia, Pipper travels around different accessible points of the city, lives adventures, enjoys the gastronomy, goes shopping and, in short, shows the best side of Donostia, a friendly, welcoming and cosmopolitan city for visitors and also for his best non-human friends. He is accompanied in his vignettes by another 25 dogs from Donostia selected by lottery from among the thousands of followers of the @pipperontour networks.
The guide closes with a section detailing the resources (transport, businesses, leisure areas) that can be enjoyed by canine visitors, the rules of behaviour and also details the conditions for adopting dogs responsibly in Donostia.
Pipper and Pablo's route in the Basque Country:
ALAVA
1. Wineries in La Rioja Alavesa.
2. Vitoria-Gasteiz.
3. Nervión waterfall.
GIPUZKOA
4. Basque Railway Museum in Azpeitia.
5. Zarautz and Getaria with a dog.
6. Basque Coast Geopark.
BIZKAIA
7. Bilbao.
8. Urdaibai.
9. Gorbeia Natural Park and the Otzarreta Beech Forest.
The guide can be consulted and downloaded at turismo.euskadi.eus
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