LAS VEGAS - Tourists welcome the announcement that Las Vegas is one of five worldwide destinations expected to offer exceptional deals in 2011.
"We're staying at the Luxor, and we went ahead and went on the Luxor website, and it was the best deal we could have gotten," said tourist Karen Yarlott.
"They're really discounted right now," added tourist Cathy McBride. "That's what it seems anyway. So, we're here to run and have fun. It's Vegas."
According to Travel website Travelzoo, Las Vegas isn't slowing down as a deal factory for hotels and entertainment.
Chris Hoag with Prestige Travel helps visitors plan trips to Las Vegas. "It's exciting," he said. "It's exciting to be on the list with Travelzoo. At the same time, I kind of feel like it's a no-brainer. At the same time, Vegas is such a phenomenal destination, not only in the United States, worldwide."
Hoag says he's finding customers dramatically lower prices than he did a couple of years ago, including at luxury hotels. The reason is the city increased its hotel inventory by 5,000 rooms when CityCenter opened last year. Another 3,000 will be added to the mix when the Cosmopolitan debuts later this month.
"When you look at hotels in competitive sets, whether it's four-star hotels or three-star hotels or family friendly, they all know what the other one is doing," Hoag said. "They all try to stay within a few dollars of each other, whether it's, you know, $5 here or $10 here. You can definitely see the patterns."
Tourists say the competitive prices will likely bring them back.
"You want to have money to have fun," said tourist Lorraine Tremblay. "If you have to spend everything on the actual trip, it kind of takes away from it. You want to experience it and enjoy where you're going."
Other "wow deal destinations" according to Travelzoo include: Iceland, Bermuda, Mexico and California's central coast.
