SALT LAKE CITY -- Utah received $11 in tax revenue for every $1 it spent on its summer advertising campaign this year.

Tourism officials said Thursday they're thrilled with the return on the investment, though it represents a decline from the previous year.

In 2007, the state received $17 in tax revenue for every $1 it spent on its summer advertising campaign.

Denise Miller, vice president of Strategic Marketing & Research Inc., told the state's tourism board that part of the decline is because of the nationwide economic downturn.

"If we didn't have last year to compare to we'd be saying these are wonderful results and celebrating," Miller said.

She said Utah isn't the only state that saw returns slide this year, but it is still outperforming most of the country.

Tourism is a growing $6 billion-a-year industry in Utah, with the ski industry making up the most valuable segment. The state's winter advertising campaign began last week.

Republican Gov. Jon Huntsman has made growing the state's tourism industry and improving the state's image a cornerstone of his economic development plan.

In the past three years, the number of visitors to the state annually has increased from about 17 million to 20 million. The estimates are based on several factors, including tax collections at airports, car rentals, hotels and restaurants.

Huntsman has set a goal of increasing the number of visitors to Utah by 25 percent in the next four years.

The state tourism office's annual advertising budget is increasing to $11.7 million starting July 1, up from about $900,000 when Huntsman took office.

Tourism leaders said the research presented Thursday will help persuade legislators to keep investing in tourism.

"The fact our campaign generated an $11 return for every $1 spent is actually phenomenal," said state tourism board member Steve Lindburg.

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On the Net: Utah Office of Tourism http://utah.travel/