Podcasts

Hi, I'm State Representative Dan Scripps.

Welcome to the "The Michigan Conversation."

One of the few bright spots in our struggling economy has been the resurgence of our tourism industry.

From our idyllic countryside to our miles of unspoiled beaches, Michigan is truly a great place to visit.

Those of us lucky enough to call the Great Lakes State home are well aware that Michigan is a four season destination.

With more than 40 downhill ski resorts, and more than 6,000 miles of snowmobile trails, there's no doubt that our state is a winter wonderland, waiting to be discovered.

The award-winning Pure Michigan tourism campaign has been instrumental in promoting our state to a national audience.

This year, for the first time ever, our state invested in national ads for the first time, and the results have exceeded expectations.

The campaign has earned rave reviews from the tourism industry…

… and more importantly, helped bring much needed dollars and jobs into our state.

In fact, even though in-state travel declined this year, many tourism-related companies saw an increase in business because out-of-state guests had seen the Pure Michigan ads.

For every dollar that we spend on tourism promotion, we get back nearly 3 dollars to the state treasury, and more than 40 dollars in economic activity is generated in our local communities.

That's money that our local businesses need, so they can create the jobs our workers need.

However, the funding used for the Pure Michigan program comes from one-time funds.

Because politicians in Lansing can't get their act together, this funding is on the verge of expiring.

We cannot allow politics-as-usual in Lansing to get in the way of creating jobs and growing our economy.

I have a plan to capture some of the revenue generated from tourism dollars to create a permanent source for tourism promotion.

This bipartisan plan will allow Michigan to continue to take advantage of the enormous return we get from investing in tourism, as well as creating and protecting thousands of jobs in the tourism industry.

Sadly, despite having broad support, this plan has yet to be taken up in either the House or Senate.

Michigan's workers don't need any more bickering out of Lansing.

They need results.

They need jobs.

And by investing in our tourism industry, maybe when the pundits talk about our state, they won't be talking about a struggling economy…

…they'll be talking about taking a trip to Pure Michigan.

I want to hear what you think.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns you might have, or if I can be of assistance to you or your family.

You can visit my Web site at house (dot) mi (dot) gov (slash) dscripps.

Or call me toll-free at (888) MICH-101 …

… that's (888) 642-4101.

My e-mail address is DanScripps@house.mi.gov.

I'm State Representative Dan Scripps.

Thanks for listening, and thanks for being a part of the Michigan Conversation.