The report compares current theatregoing habits to previous seasons in predicting trends for the future.

The new study reveals that tourists accounted for 63.4 percent of all Broadway tickets, up from 61.7 percent in the 2010-11 season. International tourists accounted for 18.4 percent of all admissions to Broadway shows in New York City.

Of all theatregoers, 67 percent were female.

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

Playgoers 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 five percent of the audience, but represented 29 percent of all admissions (3.6 million admissions). "This was our strongest 52-week season in history in terms of attendance and grosses with over 12.3 million admissions," said Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of The Broadway League, in a statement. "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 Demographics of the Broadway Audience is published annually by The Broadway League, the clearinghouse for information on the business, demographics and economic impact of Broadway theatre throughout North America. Printed versions of the reports are available for purchase at http://www.broadwayleague.com/orderform.php.