By Justine Irish D. Tabile, Reporter CAMILLE DELOS SANTOS, a 29-year-old government worker from Palawan province, spent P35,000 to watch the concert of K-pop boy band Seventeen in Bulacan north of the Philippine capital on Jan. 13.
“I had to save up not only for the concert ticket but also for the plane fare, transportation to the concert venue, accommodation and food,” she said in a Facebook Messenger chat. The thought of going over budget caused her a lot of stress, she added. The local travel industry is experiencing a transformation with the rise of music tourism, which is reshaping how Filipino travelers plan their trips, with concerts and music festivals becoming central to their travel decisions.
Korean acts like Seventeen, Blackpink, Enhypen and IU, and global sensations like Olivia Rodrigo and Ed Sheeran are driving the transformation of Philippine and global tourism. The Philippine music event market is projected to hit $83.6 million this year and grow by 3.
9% annually to $97.5 million by 2028, according to German online data platform Statista. Much of the global revenue from music tourism this year will come from the United States at $17 billion.
Locally, the target market is about 2.9 million Filipinos, or a user penetration rate of 2.5%, compared with Denmark’s 25.
8%, the highest in the world, Statista said. Filipinos who travel overseas to watch concerts spend more than those who aren’t concertgoers, according to Visa. “In the Philippines, concertgoers.