mlive.com · Lindsay Moore | lmoore@mlive.com · September 9, 2026
Michigan poured millions into its travel campaign. Now, the purse strings are tighter - mlive.com [Skip to Article](#main) Set weather Back To Main Menu Close Set Weather Location Enter zip code or city and state Set Location [ The mlive.com logo ](https://www.mlive.com) [The $1 Sale is Here!](https://www.mlive.com/digitalsubscription/inline/) [Labor Day Savings End on 9/9/26](https://www.mlive.com/digitalsubscription/inline/) Close # ‘We’re at an inflection point:’ Tourism leaders look for new funding for Pure Michigan * Published: Sep. 08, 2026, 8:00 p.m. A family poses for a selfie with the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island, Mich. on Friday, May 30, 2026.Danielle James | MLive.com * * * Set as Google Preferred Source By * [Lindsay Moore | lmoore@mlive.com](https://www.mlive.com/staff/LMoore/) Michigan’s state pride is rooted in its change. Michiganders love to brag about all four seasons and the memories associated with each of them. Lake Michigan shorelines tickle toes and leave behind fossil stones. The Northern Michigan trees paint the winding roads and apple stands present a crunchy bounty. The mlive.com logo A subscription is required to read this story. [Subscribe now to continue.](https://www.mlive.com/digitalsubscription/intercept?failsafe=true) The Upper Peninsula dares us to see its extremes and wows us with ice curtains, tenacious sled dogs and fresh powder. Millions of tulips announce spring in Holland and the first pour of Bell’s Oberon has its own holiday. For 20 years, all that uniquely specific magic has been packaged under a unifying motto: That’s Pure Michigan. “It’s never about manufactured moments or over promised expectations. We show the real deal, the real people and places. I really think that’s why the brand has resonated over the 20 years,” said Kelly Wolgamott, vice president of Pure Michigan. The campaign’s resonance remains strong and steady, but its funding future is unclear. Pure Michigan’s bank is nearly the lowest it’s ever been heading into 2027. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the state legislature approved $9 million dedicated to the travel campaign this budget cycle. It is a sharp decline compared to a decade ago when the budget sat at $33 million in 2016. “It feels like we’re at an inflection point. We have 20 very successful years that 49 other states would kill for,” said Justin Winslow, president and CEO of the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association. “And yet its future feels very much in jeopardy right now.” An aerial image of fall colors with (foreground) Rush Lake and Platte Lake in Benzie County, Mich. on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. Joel Bissell | MLive.com Pure Michigan has the data to back up its glamour shots. It’s estimated [1.5 million leisure trips](https://www.mlive.com/life/2026/04/pure-michigan-generated-25b-in-visitor-spending-last-year-inspiring-15m-trips.html) were linked back to tourists who saw the campaign, according to a 2025 report from SMARInsights. Those visitors generated $2.8 billion in spending and more than $171 million in state tax revenue. That’s funneling into Michigan tourism’s larger economic impact of nearly $55 billion, according to the [Michigan Economic Development Corporation](https://www.michigan.org/michigans-tourism-industry-generates-548-billion-economic-impact). **More Pure Michigan: **[**Economic uncertainty to powerful platform**](https://www.mlive.com/life/2026/09/pure-michigan-fueled-a-travel-boom-now-the-iconic-campaign-is-on-a-tight-budget.html) Stephanie Schlatter, a Lake Michigan artist, paints the scene from the dune overlook, stop no. 3 along the 7.4-mile Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Empire, Mich. on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2024. Joel Bissell | MLive.com But tourism doesn’t have a physical product the way Michigan’s other economic pillars do. There’s no car coming off the line or cherries harvested from the fields. This intangible commodity is difficult to sell to legislators, said Winslow, who is also an officer of the advocacy group The Michigan Hospitality & Tourism Alliance. This has led to a yo-yo of general funds, from $36 million in fiscal year 2019 to $0 in 2020. Then an infusion of federal relief money put the campaign at $40 million in 2023. The $9 million allocation for 2027 is a significant drop from 2026’s $16 million. “The Travel Michigan team will work with our agency and industry partners to design a marketing campaign targeting travelers in Michigan and in out-of-state markets that maximizes the impact of the funds we have available,” Wolgamott said. Bartenders serve patrons at O'Toole's Public House on Bridge Street in Grand Rapids on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. Joel Bissell | MLive.com The tourism industry does, however, have a visible labor force. The cashiers giving their “locals-only” winery recommendations, the drivers traversing the dunes and the kayak guides keeping a watchful eye on tippy tourists in Lake Superior – they all add up. Michigan’s tourism economy supported 351,292 jobs in 2024, according to the SMARInsights study. To break it down, that’s one-in-17 of all jobs in Michigan, including 96,000 jobs in the food and beverage sector. Winslow and the tourism alliance see Pure Michigan as a recruitment and retention tool to stabilize the labor market. “That pride of place keeps people in place,” Winslow said. “There’s stickiness that comes with that. Recruitment to a state that captures the imagination is important for business and for people.” The alliance is made up of industry leaders in all corners of Michigan – both geographically and categorically − with representation from the Brewers Guild, the snow sports industry and the RV and campground association to name a few. With general fund dollars “more scarce by the day,” Winslow and the tourism alliance created the Michigan Tourism Forever Agenda. The agenda outlines $50 million for the Pure Michigan budget, $15 million for large special event recruitment and $10 million for independent organizations. The SMARInsight study found Michigan tourism generates $3.6 billion annually in state and local tax revenue. To reach their financial goals, the tourism alliance proposes dedicating 0.7% of existing sales tax revenue or by incorporating tourism into any future sales tax expansion proposals. The alliance gained momentum in August when state Rep. Will Snyder (D-Muskegon) introduced legislation to reestablish the Michigan Travel Commission and Michigan Travel Bureau — which oversees the Pure Michigan brand — as a Type 1 agency. “Tourism funding is economic development, but all too often tourism funding becomes forgotten about and used as a political scapegoat during the budget negotiations,” Snyder said. “Being from a place like Muskegon, I understand the importance of both supporting our manufacturing sectors and supporting our tourism and hospitality sector.” A Type 1 agency would have more autonomy over decisions but still be housed under an executive department of government. For example, Michigan’s Liquor Control Commission operates licensing and enforcement but is still under the state’s Licensing and Regulatory Affairs branch. Travel budgets are tight on a household level