"Our properties have opportunities," said Susan Houck, VP of marketing, luxury and Las Vegas for General Growth Properties. "Dining, shopping and entertainment are the most important things that people do when they travel."

Visitors spend three-to-five times as much as the typical consumer on retail purchases, said Kate Yowell Wendel, group marketing manager of General Growth's "marketplace" tourism-oriented centers. They also spend more time shopping and are less likely to make returns to stores they won't visit again.

One way to attract these valuable consumers is to make a connection with local tourism agencies, Yowell Wendel suggested. "Your local travel industry professional must know you and know your property," she said.