Tuesday, 21 February 2012

Door2Tour.com reports rise in sales for London theatre breaks

Door2Tour.com, the online travel company, has revealed that sales for its London theatre breaks are up 7% compared to the same period last year.

The provider of coach tours suggests that the rise in popularity could be because of sell-out productions such as new kid on the block, 'Matilda the Musical', and the continued success of Les Misérables, now in its 26th year. Last year, approximately 8 million people hit London's West End to see a musical of some sort. 

The success could also be attributed to the rise in popularity for West End plays with just over 3 million people seeing productions such as 'Frankenstein', 'Much Ado About Nothing', 'Noises Off', 'Two Guvnors' and 'Jerusalem' which had audiences queuing around the block just to get their hands on a ticket.

Rachel Jones, Online PR & Marketing Co-ordinator for Door2Tour.com said: "It just goes to show that even with all the doom and gloom surrounding the UK economy, our customers still want to treat themselves or others to London theatre breaks. We have certainly seen renewed interest in plays such as 'The Woman in Black' and 'Warhorse' since their respective big budget film releases. 

"We have also noticed that as the school holidays arrive, parents still wish to treat their family to a day out and this is where London theatre breaks are ideal as you get to see a bit of the city and finish with an entertaining evening at the musicals with the delights of 'Matilda', 'Shrek' and 'The Lion King' proving to be huge hits with families from across the UK."

Sometimes it’s not just a new show that attracts new audiences to the West End, sometimes it can purely be down to who is starring in it. Michael Crawford made his return to the West End when he starred as the Wizard in the (then) new musical 'Wizard of Oz' and that saw a huge rush in ticket sales. His role has since been taken over by Russell Grant who was extremely popular in the last series of 'Strictly Come Dancing'. Alfie Boe and Matt Lucas are due to star in 'Les Misérables' for a limited run in June 2012 which is sure to see a surge in interest from those avid fans of the show.

The popularity of reality TV Shows have also helped to attract new audiences to London's West End with shows such as 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' and 'How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?' attracting record numbers of viewers who in turn wish to see their winner perform in their lead role on stage.

Rachel concluded: "Although our customers are thinking very carefully about where their money goes and not necessarily wanting to travel too far, lately we have noticed that many are still looking to get away from it all to celebrate a special birthday or big anniversary. We have received numerous enquiries from people looking for a London break combined with a West End show to treat that special someone in their lives. It is without a doubt that London theatre breaks have been boosted by a host of new shows such as Singin' in the Rain' and 'Dreamboats & Petticoats' and a series of new stars freshening up the London stage."

www.door2tour.com

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