Is Balboa Island the 8th Wonder of the World? Is the Hollywood sign?
It was built through a feat of engineering a long time ago, it regularly draws tourists from around the world and it rises from the sand.
No, it’s not the Great Pyramid of Giza.
But according to Visit Newport Beach, the city’s marketing arm, Balboa Island could be counted alongside that ancient marvel as the Eighth Wonder of the World.
The agency recently submitted the island as its nominee to an online contest being conducted by VirtualTourist that allows travelers to vote on more than 200 submissions to determine which global destination should land the title.
Newport’s “slice of nautical Americana,” as a news release puts it, has some fierce competition, though. The likes of Stonehenge, the Hollywood sign and the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Springfield, Mo., are also on the ballot.
The winner, according to the release, will be featured in a national TV segment and will receive a “massive media relations campaign push” through VirtualTourist.
Visit Newport Beach spokesman Jeff Soto said a representative from VirtualTourist, a TripAdvisor subsidiary, reached out to the city a few weeks ago for a submission.
“We think it was just kind of a fun thing to do,” Soto said, adding that even among Newport attractions, there was no shortage of options. “We talked about the [Balboa] Peninsula, The Wedge. If the contest is around next year, we’ll probably think of something else.”
ALSO:
AEG exec: ‘You needed a scorecard’ to track Jackson’s entourage
Camarillo associate principal accused of child molestation, battery
1,300-pound mako shark a record-breaker? Takes 60 days to find out
Twitter: @jillcowan
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
