Free-market think-tank Mackinac Center for Public Policy published last week an article by Michael LaFaive advocating continuing to spend no money on the Pure Michigan tourism promotion program, which it labels "demonstrably ineffective."
MI Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's FY2020 budget cut all of the $37.5M which the State Legislature proposed to spend on Pure Michigan.
Mackinac Center claims its analysis of tourism promotion by 48 states over 39 years shows that every $1M in spending produced only $20K increase in economic activity in the accommodation sector, and no economic impact at all on the recreation and amusement sector.
Looks bad, but why did the analysis not include the retail and restaurant sectors?
