‘Pure Michigan’ Campaign In Trouble

A highly visible travel advertising program that got Michigan attention all over the country is in danger of being drastically cut back.

‘Pure Michigan’ went national last year for the first time with ads that ran on nationwide cable TV for months.

A month ago, the Michigan House approved $30 million to keep ‘Pure Michigan’ going.

But it’s ground to a halt in the Senate and hasn’t even come up for a vote.

Travel experts say the ‘Pure Michigan’ ads won’t hit the airwaves in March like they did last year.

Pat Black of the Marquette Country Convention & Visitors Bureau says people in the tourism promotion business have to look ahead, not live in the ‘now’.

Black says timing is of the essence because national TV ads for the spring and summer usually have to be bought in February.

She says it’s strange, given that the bill had no trouble passing the House.

Black says the bill enjoyed overwhelming House support, and she says she wishes she knew what to do to make the Senate pay attention to it.

The $30 million the state spent on ‘Pure Michigan’ in fiscal 2009 was an all-time high.

There’s less than $6 million in the budget for it this year.