Monday, December 30, 2024

Abba Voyage saving the UK economy with £1,400,000,000 turnover

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Could Abba be the key to turning the UK economy around?(Picture: Johan Persson/Abba Voyage/PA Wire)

Abba Voyage has raked in a whopping £1.40billion while providing more than 10,000 jobs for annual workers, it has been revealed.

The legendary show allows fans to experience the Swedish pop sensations like never before as digital avatars.

The show has enjoyed massive critical acclaim since it opened in London in 2022 with attendees praising its mind-blowing special effects as well as the opportunities to sing and dance your heart out.

The show sees the digital versions of the band – made up of Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad – perform seven times a week in a purpose-built, 3,000-capacity venue in East London.

Since its opening, it has welcomed more than two million visitors from across the world.

And new data from Sound Diplomacy has revealed the stratospheric impact the show has had on the UK economy in just two years.

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Undated handout photo of digital images of Bjorn Ulvaeus, Agnetha Faltskog, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, of the Swedish band Abba, who have announced their first album in nearly 40 years and unveiled a
Abba Voyage sees avatars of the iconic pop group perform seven times a week in a London venue (Picture: PA)
SWEDEN-MUSIC-ABBA
The show has received wide praise since it opened in May 2022 (Picture: OLLE LINDEBORG/AFP via Getty Images)

It has been found the show has contributed £1.40bn in turnover to the UK economy between May 2022 and May 2024, with an extra £774.3million in Gross Value Added (GVA).

International visitors contributed £72.6m to that total, while £262.1m came from local boroughs Newham, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, and Waltham Forest.

Residents outside of London but within the UK contributed £142.2m to the total.

Attendees spent on average £220 per day in London, in addition to the cost of tickets to the show.

Abba Voyage has additionally provided jobs for 10,044 annual workers in the UK, including those directly connected to the concert and those that support the show such as waiting staff, sales staff, chefs, and hotel clerks.

In the local area, the study found Abba Voyage gave employment opportunities for an average of 2,805 workers in the local area.

The study founds Abba Voyage had contributed an estimated social value of £46.5m since opening, with £25.8m attributed to attendees from outside London.

Of this total, around £3.2m was generated by Abba Voyage’s pro-social activities.

A new study found the popular show brought in £1.4bn to the UK economy (Picture: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
Undated handout photo issued by Abba Voyage during the Abba Voyage virtual concert. Abba's virtual concert has boosted the UK economy by more than ?1 billion, new analysis shows, as its executive producer sets his sights on another two years of the London residency which he hoped could exist "forever". Abba Voyage, which sees digital versions of the Swedish band perform in a purpose-built arena, is set to sell its three millionth ticket this month, since opening in May 2022. Issue date: Monday December 9, 2024. PA Photo. See PA story CITY AbbaVoyage. Photo credit should read: Johan Persson/Abba Voyage/PA Wire NOTE TO EDITORS: This handout photo may only be used in for editorial reporting purposes for the contemporaneous illustration of events, things or the people in the image or facts mentioned in the caption. Reuse of the picture may require further permission from the copyright holder.
The show also provided more than 10,000 employment opportunities (Picture: Johan Persson/Abba Voyage/PA Wire)

The show has been awarded the Greener Arena certification for its efforts in sustainability, becoming the fifth arena in the UK to achieve the environmental sustainability award.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said the show is ‘an enduring testament to Abba’s timeless popularity.’

‘Abba Voyage has been a phenomenal success story for London, boosting our economy by more than £1bn and showing again why our capital is a global leader for music and culture,’ he said in a statement.

‘The fantastic show is an enduring testament to Abba’s timeless popularity, as well as providing cultural, financial and social benefits.

‘London is proud to host Abba Voyage and we look forward to continuing to welcome fans from far and wide to see this unique concert as we build a better London for everyone.’

It was previously reported the show could be leaving London and voyaging across the ocean to Las Vegas.

Sources told Las Vegas Resorts-Journal in April is said to be the leading contender to snap up the show, but the site is not yet finalised, and it will begin as a ‘limited engagement, extending if it builds momentum’.

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