Wealthy Chinese tourists count South Coast Plaza as their top shopping destination in the U.S., according to a recent survey.
The shopping center, which had about $1.5 billion in sales last year, received the nod for Best USA Luxury Shopping Mall as part of luxury travel magazine Shanghai Travelers’ Club’s 2013 Luxury Travel Awards.
The magazine describes its readership as high-net-worth Chinese travelers.
Other award winners included the Waldorf Astoria in New York, named best hotel in the U.S., and Trump National Golf Club in Washington, D.C., picked as favorite golf course.
South Coast Plaza saw a 7% gain in sales last year, aided in part by an uptick in shoppers from China, Korea, Brazil and the Middle East.
The growth also was fueled by the addition of 18 stores and 17 store redesigns last year.
—Kari Hamanaka
