It's no secret that while there number of dead or dying malls across the country, the best ones are performing very well, with sales figures to back them up. When it comes to total visitors, though, it seems like the best are tourist destinations within themselves, topping many major vacation spots, according to a recent Travel + Leisure article.

The article, with this nice photo essay, concentrates only on traditional, enclosed malls, so some of the high-powered outlet centers out there aren't represented. Also, we don't see Forum Shops at Caesars on here or Ala Moana, which aren't technically "traditional" either, and we're sure they would crack this list.

But even though it's a bit incomplete, the article has some interesting facts:

• Mall of America, which not surprisingly tops the list for the most visitors, gets nearly as many visitors, 40 million, that Italy receives a year.
• Woodfield Mall in suburban Chicago is the number one tourist destination in Illinois, with 27 million visitors.
• South Coast Plaza, in Costa Mesa, CA, has the highest annual sales of any mall, at $1.5 billion.
• Eastwood Mall Complex, in Niles, OH, came in a surprising 20th on the list, beating out such names as Denver's Cherry Creek Mall and Mall at Millenia in Orlando.

Are there any names out here that you think are left out? What do you think about the list?