PetsPyjamas has recruited James Williams to the newly created role of managing director as part of the dog-friendly travel company’s “ambitious” expansion plans.
He joined from Culture Trip, where he was head of commercial, and has also worked at Voyage Privé.
PetsPyjamas said it has “an ambitious growth plan” to expand in the UK and overseas over the next five years.
The growth is being driven by the boom in the UK dog population, which has risen from 10 million to 13.5 million since March 2020.
Karen Hanton, PetsPyjamas co-founder and chief executive, said: “The canine population has grown massively since the first lockdown. PetsPyjamas has seen unprecedented growth in demand for dog-friendly getaways and we are delighted to have James on board to help us capitalise on this opportunity.”
Williams added: “As a dog owner myself, I can see the dog-friendly travel market is set for rapid expansion, and I look forward to navigating PetsPyjamas as we enter an exceptionally high growth and significant scale-up phase to capitalise on the lucrative hound pound.”
Founded in 2012, PetsPyjamas offers dog-friendly packages at hotels, cottages, country houses and B&Bs in the UK and abroad.
PetsPyjamas works with ‘Pet Partners’ – self-employed travel consultants who can work from home on a flexible, part-time basis.
A spokesperson said: “If a travel agent had a dog, loves to travel with their dog and knows their local area well from a dog owner perspective, they could sign up to work with the company.”
Pictured: James Williams and Mavis