Tourists made Broadway a lively and happily populated place during the 2006-07 season, accounting for more that 65 percent of the 12.3 tickets bought for shows and succeeding in breaking decades long records.

According to the latest annual demographic report released Monday by the League of American Theatres and Producers, tourists made up the majority of ticket-buyers for shows on Broadway during the 2006-07 season.

Acquiring approximately 65% of the 12.3 million tickets bought, tourists made possible the largest percentage in the past two decades, with attendance by international visitors surpassing pre-September 11 levels, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Foreign tourists bought an impressive 1.9 million tickets, comprising 16% of Broadway attendance this past season, “the highest percentage in recent history,” the League said.

The report, titled “The Demographics of the Broadway Audience 2006-2007,” is based on survey data available from audience questionnaires that were distributed throughout the Broadway season.

The study found further pleasant facts, such as a growing diversity in the audience. Non-whites reportedly acquired a record 3.2 million tickets, or 26 percent of the total available in 2006-07.

The age of theatergoers also varied, with youngsters under 18 accounting for a record 1.42 million tickets, an increase of 23 percent over the previous season, the study said.

“It is exciting to report that we are seeing a wider audience for Broadway,” Charlotte St. Martin, executive director of the League of American Theatres and Producers, said, as quoted by the Hollywood Reporter.

“Our theatergoers are both younger and more diverse than ever, and we have more out-of-town guests experiencing Broadway. With our goal to make Broadway a stronger national brand, we do believe that the increased attendance from visitors to New York City reflects that these efforts are working.”

The increased attendance appears to have been largely due to word-of-mouth, which was singled out as the most influential factor in choosing to attend a musical, the study found. When it came to choosing a play, critical reviews and articles appeared to have the greater influence.

The study also found that the average theatergoer attended five shows in the past year, a figure similar to those with the past several seasons. Only 6 percent of the audience saw 15 or more shows, representing 31 percent of all tickets sold.

A total of 10,800 questionnaires were distributed at multiple performances per show, at 23 different productions and at 72 individual performance times; 5,109 were returned, according to the Hollywood Reporter.