“Unlocking Exclusivity: The Rise of Skip-the-Line and VIP Experiences in Travel”

This autumn, both Disneyland and Disney World introduced a new “premier pass” — which, for several hundred dollars in addition to the price of a standard park ticket — allows attendees to bypass the lines at numerous sought-after attractions. While amusement parks such as those owned by Disney and Universal Studios have gained a reputation for their line-skipping options, this trend has become prevalent in the travel sector.

Melissa Holguin experienced this firsthand while purchasing tickets to explore the Vatican and Sistine Chapel in Rome during a family vacation. “The standard tickets were sold out,” stated Holguin. “And one of the choices included breakfast and line-skipping, which considerably increased the expense.”

For $70 per person, Holguin and her family would gain access to the chapel and Vatican grounds an hour early compared to the majority of visitors. This is a considerable markup from the regular ticket price of about $20 per person. However, even though Holguin hadn’t planned to buy line-skipping tickets initially, that additional hour proved invaluable.

“It was incredibly pleasant to observe all the artwork and sculptures without much crowding,” Holguin remarked. “We kept saying, ‘Thank goodness we opted for this.’”

As reported by the travel research company Arival, the demand for skip-the-line and VIP tours has surged significantly since 2020 and the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. Arival conducted a survey this year of 668 attractions worldwide, including amusement parks, museums, and monuments. They discovered that 51% provided some form of skip-the-line or VIP tour choice.

A factor driving this trend is inflation. In November, airline fares rose nearly 4.7% and accommodation rates surged 3.7% year-over-year, according to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These elevated expenses can be a barrier for some, though others remain less impacted. Douglas Quinby, CEO of Arival, refers to this latter group as the “affluent traveler.”

“We categorize them as [having] a household income of at least $150,000,” Quinby noted. “This is merely a segment of travelers who have been less affected by inflation, thus they continue to travel and spend.”

The growing interest in skip-the-line offerings has transformed the way certain vendors in the travel sector operate, like travel agent Alyssa Geeter.

“It is certainly one of the primary inquiries — if not the primary inquiry — that clients make when they contact me to start planning and booking their trips,” Geeter said, specializing in journeys that involve Disney and Universal Studios. Her agency, Magical World Vacations, holds Earmarked Disney Vacation Planning Agency designation and is compensated by Disney.

“There are numerous tiers and levels,” Geeter explained. “It has definitely evolved from just, ‘Oh cool! Look! We get to use the fast lane’ to now this being a decisive element in our planning, just like budget, dining, and hotel expenses.”

And by all indications, it appears that skip-the-line options are poised to expand even further. According to the same Arival survey that indicated over half of ticketed attractions already provided skip-the-line offerings, an additional 18% expressed plans to introduce a line-skipping option in the upcoming year.