| Pure Michigan important of state's tourism |
 |
 |
 |
|
May 7, 2010
Spring in Michigan marks the return of both warmer weather and the Pure Michigan advertising campaign. This week, Pure Michigan television ads began running on cable channels throughout the nation, touting the wonders and the beauty of our state. The campaign will run through early July.
With Pure Michigan, we're marketing our state as a travel destination in a way never done before in Michigan history. And that's being recognized by others such as Forbes, which named Pure Michigan one of the 10 best travel campaigns of all time.
Tourism is one of the sectors we've targeted to help diversify Michigan's economy and create jobs. And Pure Michigan has been tremendously successful in generating more visitors to our state.
Last year, the national and regional Pure Michigan advertising campaigns motivated two million trips to Michigan from out-of-state. Those visitors spent more than $500 million at Michigan businesses.
The Pure Michigan campaign more than pays for itself. Last summer, visitors from outside the Great Lakes region who were inspired by the campaign to come to Michigan paid $17.5 million in state taxes. That's a return on investment of $2.23 for every dollar in advertising. The return on investment is even better for visitors to Michigan from other Great Lakes states - for 2009, it was $5.34 for every dollar in advertising we spent.
Funding for Pure Michigan this year is about half of last year's, because the Legislature could not agree on a permanent revenue source for the campaign. Pure Michigan is vital to Michigan's tourism industry. We need to find a stable source of funding to keep the campaign going. And that's because Pure Michigan is not only great for tourism, it's also great for Michigan's image around the country. Pure Michigan gives our state a new and different face, one I'm sure is a surprise to millions of Americans who've never been to Michigan and know little about us. Feedback from people who've seen the Pure Michigan commercials bears this out. A gentleman from South Carolina wrote, "I have never thought of Michigan as a tourism destination until seeing your ads." A California woman said, "We've seen your new Michigan television ads. They are awesome - makes me want to move there." The Pure Michigan campaign has brought new visitors to our state to bask in its beauty and marvel at its magnificence. It's also inspired and uplifted the people who call Michigan home, renewing faith in our great state and our future. That's the power of Pure Michigan. Thank you for listening. |
