MashGet

Five years and $26.3 million worth of out-of-state tourism promotion has resulted in nearly 5 million new tourists coming to Michigan who spent $1.1 billion and contributed $75.3 million in tax revenue.

That's a return of $2.86 for every $1 spent, pleased state tourism officials reported Tuesday at the Driving Tourism state conference in Detroit.

On the other hand, overall tourism volume fell 6% last year, the latest in a long string of declining years, according to Michigan State University researchers. That indicates a continued erosion of business from in-state travelers, who normally make up 70% of Michigan's tourism market.

But George Zimmermann, vice president of the state's tourism arm, Travel Michigan, said Tuesday the Pure Michigan campaign should be judged on its merits -- how much money it returns to the state in tax revenues for every dollar the state invests. "We can't take credit or blame for the total tourism economy," he said.