Travel Portland Appoints Green Public Relations Manager

PORTLAND, Ore., April 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Travel Portland recently
named Veronique Meunier to the position of public relations manager,
sustainability. Substituting a niche focus for the more traditional,
broad-based approach to destination promotion, Travel Portland has become one
of the first convention and visitor bureaus in the nation to create a media
relations position that focuses exclusively on promoting a region by
highlighting its green and eco-friendly attributes.

(Logo: here)

"More and more travelers are interested in green experiences," explained Jeff
Miller, Travel Portland president and CEO. "To keep up with the growing number
of requests we're getting from visitors, meeting planners and the media, we
felt it was critical to have a specialist in this area."

Born in Fort-de-France, the capital of Martinique, Meunier's family home is
located in Grenoble, France. She relocated to Oregon in 2003 with her American
husband. Upon arrival, Meunier first worked as a producer for Henry V, the
West Coast's oldest event production company. In 2006, she joined Travel
Portland, serving as a media relations coordinator for the Portland Metro
Region, an area encompassing the city of Portland, as well as Multnomah,
Columbia, Washington and Clackamas counties. In this role, Meunier worked
directly with travel journalists, editors and television crews, coordinating
and facilitating their research of the area.

An environmentalist at heart, Meunier is a member of Travel Portland's "Green
Team," an employee advocacy group that encourages the adoption of green
practices and standards by both Travel Portland and its hospitality industry
partners. Last year, Meunier also played a major role in planning and
executing a green media research tour for journalists interested in
eco-travel.

"When we created the sustainable P.R. position, we knew we needed someone who
had a wealth of public relations experience, strong travel media contacts, and
a passionate commitment to the environment," explained Deborah Wakefield, vice
president of communications and public relations for Travel Portland.
"Luckily, we didn't have to look far; the ideal candidate was already working
for us."

After officially stepping into her new role on May 5, Meunier will begin
developing a strategy for highlighting and promoting Portland's many green
story angles. Although all of Travel Portland's media outreach efforts
currently touch upon the destination's sustainable elements, Meunier will be
charged with greatly enhancing that effort. She will also take responsibility
for tracking Portland's ever-growing list of green travel amenities, making
her an expert point of contact for media with a particular interest in
sustainability.

At the Travel Portland offices, Meunier can be reached at 503.275.9783 or
veronique@travelportland.com.

Travel Portland is a nonprofit independent association whose mission is to
strengthen the region's economy by marketing the metropolitan Portland area as
a preferred destination for meetings, conventions and leisure travel.

SOURCE Travel Portland

Deborah H. Wakefield of Travel Portland , +1-503-275-9795,
deborah@travelportland.com