Just in time for the summer tourist season, two national publications — Woman’s Day magazine and U.S. Airways Magazine, an in-flight periodical — have singled out Portland for special attention.

Woman’s Day, which has 20 million readers per issue, profiles Portland in its travel feature in the July edition, which is on newsstands. Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Mayhew recently instituted the travel feature to highlight smaller cities.

Portland was the third destination profiled, after Sacramento and Baltimore.

“I’ve always heard about Portland having an interesting music scene and an interesting cultural scene,” said Mayhew, who has vacationed in the state multiple times.

The story offers the top 10 things to do in town based on interviews with Sarah Moran, 43, a Portland resident who is a married mother of three.

“I seek out real women who live in these towns,” Mayhew said.

Moran’s picks include the Five Fifty-Five restaurant, Tony’s Donuts, the Portland Sea Dogs and the First Friday Art Walk.

“Portland is an attractive destination, but we also work to solicit travel writers,” said Courtney McMennamin, spokeswoman for the Convention and Visitors Bureau of Greater Portland. McMennamin and the rest of the bureau’s staff provided assistance on both stories.

U.S. Airways Magazine, which is read each month by roughly 2 million people, did a spread on the city for its June issue. McMennamin connected the publication’s editors with members of the Convention and Visitors Bureau and helped them find local writers who could capture the essence of Portland.

The U.S. Airways package includes three feature stories and numerous color photographs. One story focuses on the art, music, culture and shopping in the city, plus a few nearby locales.

Another story hits the highlights of Portland’s culinary scene, and the third explores the city’s attractiveness to entrepreneurs, many of whom have moved here from other parts of the country.

“Anything that encourages people to move here is helpful, because Maine is one of the oldest states (demographically), but Portland is bucking that trend,” said Jan Beitzer, executive director of Portland’s Downtown District.

“Most cities of our size are losing more people under 35 than they’re gaining, and we’re attracting people under 35. I’m very confident that has to do with the arts and contemporary music scene.”

Tara Titcombe, associate editor of Destination Publishing Group, which produces U.S. Airways Magazine, was among the magazine’s staff members who came to Portland in March. “We were blown away by all the local businesses, local restaurants and the working waterfront,” Titcombe said.

Even though the trip coincided with a snowstorm, Titcombe is eager to return. “I’d like to get up there again,” she said. “I’d love to do a little more shopping.”

 

Staff Writer Avery Yale Kamila can be contacted at 791-6297 or at:

akamila@pressherald.com

 

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