NEW YORK – Providence finds itself on the cusp of a pickup in cultural travelers and conventioneers, the Wall St. Journal declared in its weekend edition.

In an interactive map titled “The Contenders” – accompanying “The search for the next hot spot,” an article and podcast that discuss how the travel industry finds the latest “cool” travel destinations – the newspaper listed Providence as No. 2 among “10 places the travel industry hopes will become hits in the coming years.”

Topping the list was Honduras, which the author praised as “A cutting-edge Costa Rica.” Following Providence were, in order: Newfoundland, Canada; Montenegro; Rwanda; the Seychelles; Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi; Almaty, Kazakhstan; Sanya, Hainan Island, China; and Boracay, the Phillipines.

In its Providence listing, the WSJ highlighted the $500 million in revitalization projects underway in the city and touted the “growing arts scene.” But it also warned future travelers to expect more conventioneers, citing local efforts to grow the number of conventions that choose the city.