LANSING – In front of a packed House Tourism, Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources Committee room on Tuesday, Democratic lawmakers introduced a package of bills designed to expand and sustain the successful "Pure Michigan" tourism promotion program. The move, which will create the "Michigan Promotion Fund," will help the program build on its success in creating jobs and revenue for the state.
"We are the Great Lakes State and have some of the most beautiful natural resources of anywhere in the world," said State Representative Dan Scripps (D-Leland), a sponsor of the plan. "This plan will help us effectively market what our state has to offer. We need to take aggressive steps to sell Michigan as a prime destination for tourists, hunters and anglers. Tourism is one of the largest industries in Michigan, and we need to do all we can to bring these job-creating tourism dollars here."
The plan establishes the "Michigan Promotion Fund," a permanent fund for tourism-related programs such as "Pure Michigan." The program would use revenue from sales and use taxes that people already pay on tourism-related activities. By bringing more tourism dollars to the state, the fund will generate more revenue for use in tourism promotion.
"Promoting a positive image of Michigan is a worthwhile investment in many ways," said State Representative Woodrow Stanley (D-Flint), who sponsored a bill in the package. "Not only does it attract tourists, it also persuades employers that Michigan is a great place to set up shop. Investing in our tourism industry will create a ripple effect that will help jumpstart our economy and bring businesses and jobs to Flint."
Tourism provides more than 193,000 jobs for Michigan residents. Every dollar invested in out-of-state advertising generates more than $40 in sales for Michigan businesses and nearly $3 in revenue, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC).
"With the unprecedented budget problems our state faces, we must be sure that we're making wise investments that are paying off for our workers," said State Representative David Nathan (D-Detroit), also a sponsor of the plan. "We've shed too many jobs already and we need to focus on effective ways to create jobs, like the Pure Michigan program. This plan is an investment in our state, our economy and our residents."
The plan would stay in effect until 2013, when the MEDC will evaluate the program and assess its success. If it's found that the state is getting back less than it's putting into the program, no more money will be put into the fund.