The 2026 playbook

A forecast on trends that are set to redefine how we live, where entertainment, mobility and technology will take us, and how sports will continue to pay tribute to the human soul

- BY REY ILAGAN, ROBERT REQUINTINA, RAMON BONILLA, INIGO ROCES & ICA HONTIVEROS-CHENG

We are claiming it: 2026 will be the best year yet. As we welcome the new year, opportunities for growth, transformation, and discovery unfold.

In the spirit of new beginnings, the Manila Bulletin Lifestyle, Entertainment, Sports, Motoring, and Technology teams list the dominating trends, themes to discover, and challenges to watch out for this year.

Lifestyle trends

Travel

As a younger generation starts traveling, artificial intelligence (AI) becomes even more important in trip planning. Countries like China, Japan, South Korea, the UK, and India, and many private travel companies are already using it to improve itinerary planning, experiences, and multilingual support. It will greatly accelerate the Philippines' tourism competitiveness if we aggressively develop or use centralized AI platforms, generative itinerary tools, and even language support for visitors. An interactive trip planner will definitely help a lot of young travelers seriously consider us as a destination.

Travel will be a bit more costly this year as most countries battling overtourism find a solution in raising prices for entry to popular tourism sites. Japan already took a step forward by recently passing a bill that would see an astronomical increase in its visa processing fees (from 3,000 yen or P1,125 to 15,000 yen or P5,625). Some destinations in Europe have also upped their travel taxes for incoming visitors, adding fees to hotels and accommodations. For example, February will mark the start of a €2 entrance fee to see Italy's famed Trevi Fountain up close.