Purpose Despite the rapid growth of pet-friendly tourism, this research focuses primarily on pet owners and their animals, neglecting the coexistence of non-pet owners as stakeholders at destinations. This study aims to explore the perception and acceptance of pets among non-pet owners, who are a vital component in ensuring the stability and openness of this tourism sector. Design/methodology/approach By using grounded theory and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), this research investigates the antecedents and configuration pathways of non-pet owners’ willingness to accept others’ pets at destinations. Findings Five key dimensions influencing non-pet owners’ acceptance are extracted via grounded theory. The fsQCA results indicate that these influencing factors are categorised into four driving models, with cognition, emotion, environment, control and pet owner behaviour management serving as core factors, while social distance functions as a supplementary factor. The findings reveal the complex antecedents and synergistic driving mechanisms of non-pet owners’ acceptance intentions. Originality/value This study first clarifies and constructs a multiple antecedent theoretical framework for non-pet owners’ acceptance willingness, which bridge the gap in the field of pet tourism research by recognising non-pet owners as one of the key stakeholders. Crucially, this research offers guidance for enhancing visitor diversity management and maintaining harmonious human–animal relationships at destinations.
Zhang et al. (Wed,) studied this question.