This week, the Broadway League dropped its latest demographic report, and the headline is: TOURISM is driving Broadway’s rebound. 

According to the latest Broadway League demographic report (as covered by Playbill), 67% of Broadway’s audience last season were tourists, with 41% coming from outside the U.S. That’s a huge jump from previous seasons and a sign that Broadway’s global appeal is stronger than ever.

Let’s Break This Down. . .

1- Broadway’s Bottom Line is Stronger

Yes, local audiences helped keep Broadway afloat post-pandemic, but tourists are the ones who drive Broadway’s economy. They don’t just see one show; they see multiple. They buy premium seats. They hit the gift shops. With tourism dollars flooding back, Broadway isn’t just recovering—it’s stabilizing. 

That being said, we cannot forget about our local crowd. NYC suburbs made up 13% of admissions, which is the lowest number in 3 decades. And we’ll feel this during the times when the tourists are gone (September, February, etc.) 

I’m a big fan of “Locals Nights” for shows – so if you’ve got one, think about what you can do to encourage our neighbors in New Jersey, Staten Island, and more to come back and come more often.

2- An Older Audience Means More Spending Power

If you’ve been following my social media, you probably saw my recent video about a big shift in Broadway demographics: the average age of theatergoers has risen from 40 to 42. But before you start worrying about where all the young audiences went, let’s clear something up.

It’s a percentage game. Younger theatergoers are still here, but now, the older crowd—the audience that took longer to return after the pandemic—is coming back. And that older audience spends more money on tickets, helping to fuel full price sales, which is what is needed for shows to recoup.

And when they pay full price, it also allows us to lower prices for younger and new audiences, which is essential for short term AND long term sustainability of Broadway.

Now that the older audience is returning, our job is to keep those younger fans who supported us post-pandemic to keep coming and to tell their friends.  This is how we grow the pie.

3- Super Fans Are Filling Our Seats

Shows like The Outsiders, The Great Gatsby, and & Juliet are among the Broadway shows with strong fan bases. And when I say strong, I mean camping outside in the cold for rush tickets at 5am strong. This audience is primarily young and small, but their impact is great. The “super-fan” (super-fans being fans who saw 15 or more performances) made up 6% of theatergoers and accounted for 35% of all ticket sales.) Takeaway?  If you’re a producer – these Avids are super important for launching your word-of-mouth campaign for your show.  (I’m coming up with some new ideas for this as I type.)

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There’s a lot more in the report – and if you want to see it, click here to get it from The Broadway League.

Broadway still hasn’t fully recovered from the pandemic – but the demographics and the dollars show that we are getting there.  

It’s not a question of whether we will . . . it’s a question of when.