Tourists Buy Bulk of Broadway Tickets

The Broadway League’s 15th annual demographics report for 2011-2012 shows that tourists account for more than 63 percent of all Broadway ticket sales.

The analysis is based on extensive survey data gleaned from audience questionnaires distributed throughout the 2011-2012 Broadway season in New York City. It includes highlights on the demographics of the audience and their ticket purchasing habits. The report is part of an ongoing series that profiles Broadway theatergoers each season.

Of note, the newest study reveals that tourists accounted for 63.4 percent of all Broadway tickets, up from 61.7 percent% in the 2010-2011 season. Overall, international tourists accounted for 18.4 percent of all admissions to Broadway shows in New York City.

“This was our strongest 52-week season in history in terms of attendance and grosses with over 12.3 million admissions,”commented Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of The Broadway League.“We are pleased to see growth in international market, as New York City continues to show strong tourism numbers. As well, the 2011 – 2012 season saw an increase in the diversity of our audience. Word of mouth continues to be the greatest influence for show selection, with a notable uptick in the power of social networking posts.”

The report also shows that the use of the Internet for the purchase of tickets has increased from 44 to 47 percent. Online purchase continues to be the most popular method of ticket buying.

Reflecting a trend of the past few decades, 67 percent of the audiences were female.
Playgoers also tended to be more frequent theatregoers than musical attendees. The typical playgoer saw six shows in the past year, compared with four for the musical attendee. Those who saw 15 or more shows comprised 5 percent of the audience, but represented 29 percent% of all admissions (3.6 million admissions).

The Demographics of the Broadway Audienceis published annually by The Broadway League, the clearinghouse for information on the business, demographics and economic impact of Broadway theatre throughout North America. The League compiles various statistics and publishes extensive reports on a number of topics. Printed versions of the reports are available for purchase online at http://www.broadwayleague.com/orderform.php.