Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108T O U R I S M CreatingaPassion forPortlandGreaterPortlandConvention+ VisitorsBureau does what people think“just happens.” BY ROBERT WITKOWSKI GREATERPORTLAND RESULTS ECONOMICIMPACT $688Million VISITORS 5.57Million TAXREVENUE $66.8Million INDUSTRYJOBS 11,500 SHARE YOUR LOVE @VISITPORTLAND The CVB–widely known as VisitPortland online–embracesthedigitalageingettingout infrontofvisitors.#VisitPortlandisn’tsimply a hashtag, it is a battlecry for the CVB and its community, defining Greater Portland’s authenticity,creativity,andoriginality. GreaterPortlandConvention+VisitorsBureau (VisitPortland.com) Offices:94CommercialStreet,207-772-4994 VisitorInformationCenters:OceanGatewayTerminal 14OceanGatewayPier,207-772-5800 PortlandInternationalJetport,207-756-8312 Maine’s largest metropolitan area has become the destination of choice for leisure and business travelers worldwide. Now a media darling, the Greater Portland area is increasingly honored in the ‘Top Ten’ rankings of travel and industry magazines, TV shows, and blogs. Imagine Portland without visitors filling our streets and businesses… “With only 67,000 residents, this city couldn’t sustain the amazing restaurants, shops, attractions, and hotels that we all enjoy as locals,” says Lynn Tillotson, President + CEO of the Greater Portland Convention + Visitors Bureau (CVB). “With the enormous amount of national competi- tion for vacation destinations we must be outtheremarketingGreaterPortlandtocon- tinue to drive visitation, which benefits our economy and the entire region.” As Greater Portland’s official tourism marketing organization, the CVB has been promoting the growth and evolution of Maine’s largest metropolitan area since 1982. Their efforts lure millions of visitors, conferences, weddings, sporting events, and tour operators (along with their dol- lars) to the region–and it’s working!Amedia darling today, Portland is a vibrant, active, cultural, creative, and culinary destination known worldwide. IT TAKES A CITY The Greater Portland Convention + Visitors Bureau was created by area businesses who pooled their resources together to focus on promotingtheregionasatouristdestination. “Without tax dollar support, we’ve al- ways relied on community partners to fund tourism marketing,” says Tillotson. “Ninety percent of our marketing is done outside the state, and even internationally, attracting over 5.5 million visitors annually–it takes a village to accomplish this. ” The CVB’s effectiveness speaks for itself, infusing billions of dollars to Greater Port- land’s economy, and landing Portland many accolades including the highly coveted TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice™Award, TopTenDes- tinationsontheRisefor2016. S P E C I A L A D V E R T I S I N G S E C T I O N C Y N T H I A F A R R - W E I N F E L D