WAYLAND (WKZO AM/FM) — A West Michigan Republican thinks its pure bunk that the Pure Michigan Campaign is as cost effective as state tourism officials claim.
Travel Michigan says for every dollar spent, the campaign returns $7.67 cents in tax revenue by attracting tourists to the state.
They cite data collected by Longwoods International, which is contracted to study the return on investment of the program.
State Rep. Steven Johnson of Wayland wants the State’s Auditor General to review the firm’s methodology, or do their own study.
The Mackinac Center has long questioned Longwood’s methodology, and the cozy relationship they claim the MEDC has with the organization.
They charge that Longwoods was the highest bidder to do the study, but got picked because it returns the numbers that Travel Michigan likes.
