EDINBURGH Festival Fringe venues are reporting significant boosts in ticket sales compared to last year as the annual festival bounces back from the Olympics effect.

Last year the event released 1.8 million tickets, but saw a fall of about 1% compared to 2011.

London 2012 clashed with the first nine days of the Fringe last year and was cited as a reason for the fall in sales.

However, two weeks into this year's Fringe, major venues are reporting significant increases.

There has been a debate about the economics of the Fringe for visiting companies and performers but overall the festival is, at its midpoint, showing signs of rude health.

Tommy Sheppard, the director of the Assembly Rooms Fringe and the Stand Comedy Clubs, said his venues were showing a 30% rise in ticket sales.

He said: "We have had an ­exceptionally strong first half to the festival with sales around 30% up from 2012 proving conclusively that there was an Olympic affect last year."

William Burdett-Coutts, director of venues company Assembly, also said he was very happy with ticket sales.

Anthony Alderson also reported ticket sales for his Pleasance venues were up, compared to this time last year. "Currently they are up, but who knows what is in store," he said.

Underbelly confirmed ticket sales were up 20% on last year.

One Fringe source said: "Ticket sales are great this year, everyone is so much happier than last year."

Ticket sales this year have been boosted by the Fringe box office in Glasgow's Queen Street. .

Last year, overall, 1,857,202 tickets were issued. This year the Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme is bigger than ever, with a 6.5% increase in shows. The total number of shows is 2871, performed by 24,107 artists in 273 venues.

Theatre shows have increased this year from 751 shows to 824, with themes of the economy, politics and gender relations looming large.

It has been estimated the Fringe generates £142m for Edinburgh and the Scottish economy annually.