ANALYSIS: Manila disappears from K-pop tour stops; fans point to taxes, inflation, music trends

Fans speculate amid shifting economic and music trends.

Filipino K-pop fans have expressed frustration over recent tour announcements that excluded Manila, following Sandara Park’s REPRISM tour announcement and Park Jihoon’s Asia Fancon Tour stop being moved to Macau.

An X user also compiled several artists, including BIGBANG, Stray Kids, i-dle, ENHYPEN, NMIXX, and ILLIT, whose initial 2026 tour announcements did not include the Philippines.

With no official explanations from agencies or promoters, fans have turned to possible reasons behind the missing stops. These include taxes, ticket demand, inflation, purchasing power, and shifting music preferences.

One frequently discussed factor is the country’s amusement tax. Under Section 140 of Republic Act No. 7160, provinces may impose up to a 10% amusement tax on gross receipts from admission fees. While operas, dramas, recitals, and several other performances are exempt from the tax, concerts featuring pop, rock, and similar genres are not.

While the law alone does not prove that taxes are the reason artists skip Manila, it may be one of the costs that promoters may consider when planning tours.

Fans have also pointed to broader economic conditions. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, inflation reached 6.4% in June 2026, while the peso’s purchasing power declined to ₱0.74, from its 2018 base value of ₱1.

These figures suggest that consumers have less spending power for non-essential expenses, including concert tickets, although they do not determine ticket demand or promoter decisions.

Some fans have also questioned whether demand has weakened, pointing to concerts that have yet to sell out.

Listings on SM Tickets and TicketNet for concerts such as ITZY, AHOF, and BABYMONSTER—all scheduled between July and September—still show several available sections. However, these listings alone cannot determine overall ticket demand or explain how promoters evaluate a market.

Some fans have also raised the growing popularity of P-pop and OPM as another possible factor.

Recent monthly and weekly Spotify and Apple Music charts have featured little to no K-pop songs, artists, or albums among their top rankings.

P-pop acts have also begun gaining wider international recognition, particularly BINI and SB19. According to Tsurezure Lab’s report, BINI’s global popularity surged following its historic Coachella debut in April—with engagement and streaming figures exceeding expectations. Meanwhile, SB19 is performing at the Lollapalooza on July 30.

Fans also believe that despite the country’s large K-pop fanbase, newer groups may not command the same level of spending support as previous generations.

Amid several explanations and speculations, they only show that Filipinos’ love of K-pop has not die down.

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