Where should jet-setters looking for the top travel destination on the West Coast head for? Why, Portland of course! That's right. Travelers can skip San Francisco and Seattle this year and instead opt instead for the Rose City. Who needs the Golden Gate Bridge and Space Needle anyway?

The well-known travel guide Frommer's annual list of Top Travel Destinations for 2007 was released last week and included Portland in their top 12. Our fair city was chosen along with other notable tourist destinations Ethiopia and Asheville "Not to be Confused with Ashville", North Carolina.

OK, so this isn't exactly your typical tourist guide. But the list of the top 12 destinations will undoubtedly benefit Portland's (booming?) tourist industry. Frommer's sells over 2.5 million copies of their guides each year and their website gets over 7 million additional visitors, so don't be surprised if you see lots of camera-wielding tourists wearing City of Bridges t-shirts and visiting the rose gardens.

Portland was noted in the Top Travel Destinations list for the numerous outdoor summer activities (emphasize summer activities—no mention of our new November rain record) and our "flourishing restaurant scene." Portland won after the Metro Portland Tourism Alliance hosted the editor of Frommer's last May for an "in-depth media research tour."