West End boom ups earnings for travel trade
With the West End seeing a boom in new shows – ten new musicals have opened in the last six months – theatre ticket sales are now a major income earner for tour operators, travel agents, coach operators and group organizers. The combined West End theatre product has arrived as one of the biggest draws for London.
In addition, products such as half price tickets, theatre passes, and dinner and show deals serve to widen the appeal of the West End to different market sectors.
Encore Tickets, the travel industry theatre ticket specialist, announced at World Travel Market that travel trade clients will earn over £5 million in commission on theatre tickets next year through Encore alone.
Encore continues to break records with ticket sales of £2.5 million in the month of October alone. Encore is forecasting a 35% growth in sales for 2007 and will sell over 1 million tickets. With average commission rates of £5 per ticket this means the trade should be earning in excess of £5 million in the coming 12 months.
Said Encore managing director John Wales: “This level of commission earnings is easily possible thanks to the different ways in which the trade now has to buy tickets from us, ranging from instant web bookings, white label sites, XML feeds and of course phone bookings with our 40-strong team of experienced of travel industry staff. West End theatre is now a highly valuable income stream for partners”.
The company also launched its new brand at WTM: Encore Advance, which follows its recent purchase of Advance Box Office. The Encore Advance division focussing on the UK Coach Operator & groups markets, will be offering Coach Operators a guaranteed refund on unsold tickets.
Chitra Mogul
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025