Las Vegas, Nev.

38.9 million visitors; 40 million rooms sold. Total weighted score: 4.48

If you put your money on Vegas, you’re a winner. Its self-reported visitor numbers are slightly less than other big contenders, but it tops Smith Travel Research’s list of rooms sold for 2006, with nearly 40 million—6.2 percent of the market share, head and shoulders above the other major metropolitan areas. Vegas is a prime example of how, according to tourism expert Dan Erkkila, destinations have begun to market themselves above and beyond their features and attractions (“come see what we have”) and started emphasizing “how a destination will make you ‘feel’ when you visit and after you have been there.”