CityPASS
CityPASS is a privately held B2C tourist-attraction ticketing platform, founded in 1997, that bundles discounted admission to 100+ major attractions across 17 North American cities into mobile-delivered passes sold directly to leisure travelers and families.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1997
- HeadquartersVictor, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What CityPASS does
City Pass, Inc. (d/b/a CityPASS) is a privately held B2C tourist-attraction ticketing platform founded in 1997 and headquartered in Victor, United States. The company bundles admission to 100+ major attractions across 17 North American cities — including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Orlando, Southern California, San Francisco, Seattle, and Toronto — into discounted, time-limited passes sold primarily through its citypass.com e-commerce site and the My CityPASS mobile application (iPhone, Android, and browser-based web app). Product tiers range from shorter-stay C3 (3-attraction) bundles up to comprehensive C-All (10-attraction) passes, with adult pricing between roughly $54 and $254 depending on city and tier; in Orlando and Southern California the company also operates as an authorized ticket seller for Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld, LEGOLAND, and Kennedy Space Center.
The underlying technology is a relatively standard mobile ticketing platform: customers receive electronic tickets via email or app, with QR-code-based admission that works across all included attractions without separate box-office fulfillment. CityPASS differentiates commercially rather than technologically, negotiating wholesale rates with attraction partners and capturing the spread between those negotiated rates and retail pass prices. Revenue is generated entirely through transaction-based fees — bundled pass margins and theme park ticket commissions — with no subscription or recurring component. The 88,000+ verified customer reviews averaging 4.6/5 attest to brand trust built over nearly three decades, and the registered CityPASS® trademark is a key intangible asset.
CityPASS sells directly to consumers through its website and app, supplemented by an affiliate and travel-trade program, a hotel referral partnership with Booking.com, and organic social campaigns using the #citypass hashtag. The company operates with a lean team of 11-50 employees and has no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or funding rounds, indicating it has been grown organically as an independent, profitable business over its 28-year operating history. Founders Mike Gallagher (co-CEO & co-founder) and Mike Morey (Co-Chairman & Co-Founder) remain associated with the company, though broader management team data is not disclosed.
CityPASS firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CityPASS
- Legal name
- City Pass, Inc.
- Website
- https://citypass.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1997
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CityPASS is a privately held B2C tourist-attraction ticketing platform, founded in 1997, that bundles discounted admission to 100+ major attractions across 17 North American cities into mobile-delivered passes sold directly to leisure travelers and families.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CityPASS industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Tourist Attraction Passes
- NAICS
- Travel Agencies (561510), Tour Operators (561520)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Travel Subscription, Membership & Deal Clubs (THAKAAAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers) (THAAAGAD)
Keywords
Where CityPASS is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Victor
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
CityPASS business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Attraction Pass Sales: CityPASS generates revenue by selling bundled attraction passes at discounted rates compared to individual box office prices. The company negotiates rates with attraction partners and sells passes to consumers, capturing the margin between negotiated wholesale rates and retail pass prices.
- Theme Park Tickets (Orlando/Southern California): As an authorized ticket seller, CityPASS sells individual theme park tickets for Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld, LEGOLAND, Kennedy Space Center, and related parks, earning commissions on each sale.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Standard CityPASS packages with 3-5 attractions across 17 cities |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Los Angeles CityPASS with Universal Studios and/or Warner Bros. |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Orlando/Southern California theme park tickets |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Denver CityPASS flexible packages |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
CityPASS product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CityPASS sells bundled, prepaid attraction admission passes to leisure travelers visiting 17 major North American destinations, negotiating discounted rates with more than 100 partner attractions and reselling combined tickets (CityPASS, C3, C4, C5, C-All, and Alcatraz variants) directly to consumers via its website and mobile app. It also operates as an authorized third-party seller of individual theme park tickets for major parks including Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld, LEGOLAND, and Kennedy Space Center.
Product overview
CityPASS is a B2C tourist attraction ticketing platform that bundles admission to multiple attractions in 17 cities across North America into single money-saving passes. The core platform offers various pass tiers (CityPASS, C3, C4, C5) depending on the destination, with different attraction counts and pricing for adults and children. The product portfolio includes city-specific passes for Atlanta, Boston, Chicago (with C3 option), Dallas, Denver (with C3/C4/C5 options), Houston, Los Angeles, New York (with C3 and C-All options), Orlando (theme parks), Philadelphia (with C3/C4/C5 options), San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco (with C3 and Alcatraz options), Seattle (with C3 option), Southern California, Tampa Bay, and Toronto. The companion My CityPASS mobile app (iPhone, Android, and browser-based) enables ticket delivery, reservation management, and attraction information access. CityPASS generates revenue by selling bundled tickets at discounted rates compared to individual attraction admission prices, with savings ranging from 28% to 56% depending on the city and pass type.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Chicago C3: A shorter-stay pass offering savings at 3 Chicago attractions, priced lower than the full CityPASS product.
- Chicago CityPASS
- New York C3
- New York C-All
- New York CityPASS
- San Francisco C3
- San Francisco CityPASS + Alcatraz
- San Francisco CityPASS
- Seattle C3
- Seattle CityPASS
- Denver CityPASS C3
- Denver CityPASS C4
- Denver CityPASS C5
- Philadelphia CityPASS C3
- Philadelphia CityPASS C4
- Philadelphia CityPASS C5
Products and services
- CityPASS (Core Platform)
Quantifiable outcome
- Save up to 47% at Atlanta attractions
- +14 more outcomes
Companies that use CityPASS
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
CityPASS technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
CityPASS partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Booking.comminorBooking.com provides hotel deal links on CityPASS destination pages, generating referral traffic for hotel bookings when customers plan their trips.
- Attraction Partners (Georgia Aquarium, Empire State Building, Universal Studios, etc.)coreCityPASS partners with over 100 major tourist attractions across 17 cities, negotiating exclusive bundled pricing that allows the company to sell combined tickets at rates below individual box office prices. Partners include museums, zoos, observation decks, theme parks, aquariums, and cultural institutions.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
CityPASS competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Tripadvisor: Largest travel review and meta-search platform, parent of Viator. Competes with CityPASS for trip-planning mindshare and downstream booking intent, with broader category reach including hotels and restaurants.
- Expedia Group: Major OTA with growing attractions and experiences inventory via its Experiences marketplace. A broad incumbent that competes for end-to-end travel planning, including the attraction-booking step where CityPASS plays.
- Booking.com: Already a CityPASS referral partner for hotels, Booking.com's Experiences product is an increasingly direct competitor. Its global travel traffic and existing traveler relationships pose a long-term disintermediation risk.
Direct peers
- Viator: Owned by Tripadvisor, Viator is a global tours-and-attractions marketplace with direct attraction inventory and pass-style products. Competes with CityPASS for attraction discovery and bundled-purchase intent in the same traveler journey.
- The Sightseeing Pass: Multi-city attraction pass with strong presence in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington DC. Direct competitor to CityPASS in tier-1 US East Coast destinations with very similar bundled-ticket product.
- Go City: The most direct competitor: a multi-city attraction pass product covering destinations including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and London. Sells bundled attraction tickets at discount using the same partner-negotiated model as CityPASS.
- GetYourGuide: Global OTA for tours, attractions, and experiences, with a strong 'pass' product suite. Competes directly with CityPASS for leisure travelers in major cities via bundled attraction products and direct supplier relationships.
- Undercover Tourist: Authorized seller of discounted theme park tickets for Disney, Universal, and SeaWorld. Directly overlaps with CityPASS's authorized theme park ticket business in Orlando and Southern California.
- Turbopass: European attraction pass product with city-specific bundled passes. Operates the same model as CityPASS in European destinations and is the closest international equivalent in product structure.
Emerging players
- Klook: Asia-headquartered attraction and experience booking platform expanding into the US/Europe. Offers attraction passes and bundles and competes with CityPASS for inbound leisure travelers and attraction supply.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CityPASS social profiles
Digital presenceCityPASS financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CityPASS leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
CityPASS funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CityPASS M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CityPASS
What does CityPASS do?
CityPASS sells bundled, prepaid attraction admission passes to leisure travelers visiting 17 major North American destinations, negotiating discounted rates with more than 100 partner attractions and reselling combined tickets (CityPASS, C3, C4, C5, C-All, and Alcatraz variants) directly to consumers via its website and mobile app. It also operates as an authorized third-party seller of individual theme park tickets for major parks including Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando, SeaWorld, LEGOLAND, and Kennedy Space Center.
Is CityPASS a public or private company?
CityPASS is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was CityPASS founded?
CityPASS was founded in 1997. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CityPASS based?
CityPASS is headquartered in Victor, United States, in the North America region.
How does CityPASS make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Attraction Pass Sales are the primary driver. The others are theme Park Tickets (Orlando/Southern California).
Who are CityPASS's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Tripadvisor, Expedia Group and Booking.com. Direct peers are Viator, The Sightseeing Pass, Go City, GetYourGuide, Undercover Tourist and Turbopass. Klook is listed as an emerging player.
Does CityPASS have an API?
No public API is recorded for CityPASS.
What industry is CityPASS in?
CityPASS's product category is Tourist Attraction Passes. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAKAAAL, Travel Subscription, Membership & Deal Clubs, with a secondary code of THAAAGAD, Permitting, Reservations & Visitor Information Services (Passes, Booking, Visitor Centers). Its NAICS code is 561510 and its SIC code is 7990.