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LANSING, July 18, 2023 ~ As Michigan’s iconic tourism campaign is getting its funding slashed, some state legislators are trying to restore it.
When the 2024 state fiscal budget was announced in early July, it came with a two-thirds slash to the Pure Michigan travel office’s budget. State Rep. Ken Borton (R-Gaylord) spoke with 760 WJR’s Guy Gordon and Lloyd Jackson about his support to add $15 million back to the campaign’s budget.
Pure Michigan launched in 2008, looking to paint Michigan as a travel and nature destination for many from outside the state. The travel office saw cuts around 2019, and then small funding boosts from President Joe Biden administration’s COVID-19 State Fiscal Recovery plan during the pandemic.
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July 18, 2023 ~ State Rep. Ken Borton (R-Gaylord) talks to Guy Gordon and Lloyd Jackson about his pledge to restore $15 million to Pure Michigan‘s budget to promote tourism in the state.
(CONTINUED) The budget was cut from $40 million in 2023, to $15 million in 2024, reducing the campaign to advertising regionally. The state budget originally allocated $30 million to the travel office, but lost funds from the COVID-19 recovery program expiring on Oct. 1, the start of Michigan’s next fiscal year.
Burton’s constituents in Northern Michigan have told him travelers visit and spend money at local businesses from out of state, many inspired to come by the Pure Michigan ads.
“Without (the $15 million), Pure Michigan is not going to run their ads nationally, which are so critical,” Borton said. “I do not think folks realize the importance of marketing our state.”
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