Revenge travel seen anew as Mideast worries ease, concerts boost tourism

MANILA—A so-called ‘revenge travel’ phase is expected in the second half of the year as tensions in the Middle East ease further. One of the driver of this growth are concerts.

Travel Madness Expo Chairperson Maria Paz Alberto said she expects to see growth in the tourism sector in the third and fourth quarter as more Filipinos decide to travel again following several months of uncertainty due to the Middle East conflict.With tensions easing, Alberto is expecting fuel prices to slowly go down and airlines to also reopen or add more routes in the coming months. She added that many Filipinos are also flying again to watch their favorite artists abroad.

“Concerts of the famous Bruno Mars, BTS are giving a big boost also for travel… I was so amazed the flight to Singapore was so expensive, oh, only for me to find out BTS are playing in Singapore for that period,” she added.Aside from concerts, she said the visa-free and visa-on-arrival privileges are enticing Filipinos to travel internationally again. The Department of Foreign Affairs recently announced that Filipinos are eligible for a visa-on-arrival in the United Arab Emirates, while many other countries also offer e-visa or visa-free travel to Filipinos.

“Dubai has always been a favorite of Filipinos during Christmas time because of their beautiful fireworks, right. Definitely, it will be much easier and cheaper [with the visa-on-arrival],” Alberto said.

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines is also optimistic of the rebound of the travel industry. It has added a new international route for this year and will announce more soon.

“We’ve announced recently Chicago and there will be two more new destinations that we will be announcing very soon,” said PAL Regional Head Bryan Ang.

Alberto added that with all the challenges in the economy, traveling is a way to take a breather for many Filipinos.

“Travel is no longer a luxury, it’s a way of life. Konti lang pera mo, malaki pera mo, let’s travel,” Alberto said.

She added that they will offer discounted packages and trips at the upcoming Travel Madness Expo 2026 happening from July 10 to 12, 2026 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay.