shut down because of the pandemic, according to data the Broadway League released last month. New York metro suburbanites accounted for a mere 14% or 1.7 million of the overall tickets last season — the lowest number on record in the 23 years the Broadway League has tracked such data.The Broadway League declined to comment on the dip. “We do not speculate generally about the numbers,” spokesperson Scalla Jakso said in an email.
Even as tourism to the Big Apple is rebounding, the city has a perception problem among New York metro suburbanites who are over 55 years old, said Damian Bazadona, president of Situation Group.
Half of suburbanites who have not returned to Broadway cited “concerns about safety” as a primary reason why they see fewer shows, according to a survey by the marketing and advertising firm.
A whopping 41% of suburbanites said, “I travel to Manhattan for pleasure less often than I did in 2019.”Overall crime in the five boroughs was down 5% through Dec.