State: New Mexico ad campaign has 3-to-1 return

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — The state tourism department’s $1.2 million “New Mexico True” campaign has brought taxpayers $3 for every dollar spent, a success that Tourism Secretary Monique Jacobson said she will use to seek a doubling of her department’s advertising budget.

A recent study by Longwoods International, a national research firm that specializes in measuring the effectiveness of tourism advertising campaigns, shows the effort launched in April brought back $3.6 million in state and local taxes. It also produced 264,000 additional trips and generated $35.1 million in additional visitor spending.