International travel publication Lonely Planet has named Maine one of the world's top regions to travel to in 2020.
Maine comes in at number four out of ten, just behind the central Asian Silk Road and regions in Italy and Japan. Others on the list include Lord Howe Island in Australia, northeast Argentina and the Brazilian Amazon.
Longtime Lonely Planet travel writer David Else has been involved in the Best in Travel selection process for several years. Speaking to Maine Public from London, Else says selections are made through a yearlong process.
"What we're looking for, though, is not just, 'Hey, where's a good place?' We are looking for places which are worthwhile for people to consider visiting in 2020," he says. "We're looking for a hook, we're looking for a reason."
Else says the hook for Maine is the upcoming bicentennial, when Maine will have special events for travelers to take in. On top of that are what he calls the great attractions of Maine, from coastal locations to forests, as well as what can be found in Maine's cities and towns.