ABBA Voyage contributes £1.40billion to UK economy

ABBA Voyage has contributed £1.40billion to the UK economy, according to new figures.

• READ MORE: ABBA Voyage live in London: an epic avatar mega-mix from a brave new world

The virtual concert residency, which features digital avatars depicting the Swedish pop icons as they appeared in 1979, generated the sum between its opening in May 2022 to May 2024.

During that time, the live concert experience has attracted over two million visitors, with 31 per cent travelling from outside of the UK.

According to a new report by music, culture and creative economy consultancy Sound Diplomacy, attendees spent an average of £220 per day in London, as well as the cost of the ticket to the show at Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

The most positive impact is felt in the local boroughs of Newham, Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Waltham Forest, with local restaurants and bars receiving £51.26million, commercial shops gaining £27.28million and accommodation £66.38million.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has said: “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.

“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.”

In October, it was reported that the show grossed more than £100million in 2023, according to documents filed in the UK with Companies House by Aniara, the company behind the shows.

A total of 1,097,597 visitors attended the shows across 2023, with an occupancy rate of 97.8 per cent. Revenue from ticket sales was £103,665,597, with a pre-tax profit of £6,065,402. This is more than double the £2,990,757 made in 2022, when the residency was on for seven months of the year.

Standard tickets for the shows, in which the avatars are supported by a 10-piece live band, range in price from £27.50 to £319.50.

Reviewing the first night of the show on May 27, 2022, NME gave it five stars and called it “an epic avatar mega-mix from a brave new world,” and said, “Ageing rockers and poppers are bound to imitate the idea, but it’ll be a struggle to come close to the experience of ABBA Voyage. We for one welcome our new ABBAtar overlords, if only for giving these songs back to us in a totally new and joyful way.”

Meanwhile, ABBA’s Björn Ulvaeus remarried earlier this year in Copenhagen, Denmark, with Sandi Toksvig officiating, while in August the band demanded that Donald Trump stop using their music at rallies.