LANSING, MI —Pure Michigan is one of the best state tourism advertising campaigns in the country.

It received more honors than any other state in this year's Mercury Awards from the U.S. Travel Association and the National Council of State Tourism Directors.

Pure Michigan won top awards for its state tourism television and radio advertising, social media presence, partnership advertising program and public relations effort.

Michigan won five out of the 12 categories, while no other state won more than one. Idaho won for the best overall program.

“It has been exciting to see the growth of Pure Michigan and the tremendous response it has received from our peers within the tourism industry,” George Zimmermann, vice president for Travel Michigan, said in a statement. “But even more important than awards is the number of visitors the campaign has brought to Michigan, visitors who spend money at Michigan businesses, creating jobs for Michiganders and generating state and local tax revenue.”

Travel Michigan is the state's tourism department within the Michigan Economic Development Corp.

The Pure Michigan budget will remain at $25 million for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1.

The highly popular program was credited, in part, for a $2 billion increase in tourism spending in 2010.

And its $14.2 million summer 2011 advertising campaign attracted 3.2 million out-of-state visitors that paid $70 million in Michigan taxes, according to a study from Longwoods International.

Michigan's hotel occupancy reached nearly 71 percent in July, the highest rate since at least 2004, Zimmermann told MLive.

Pure Michigan has received a total of 15 Mercury Awards since 2006, including the best radio advertising five years in a row.

The public and media relations award this year went to both Michigan and Wisconsin for their "Who is the Real Mitten State?" initiative.

Michigan also was recognized for its social media presence. It has more than 400,000 fans on Facebook and earlier this summer debuted on Instagram, a photo sharing site.

The Pure Michigan brand is now visible in even more places. It teamed up with Coca-Cola for a co-branding effort and is the namesake for the Pure Michigan 400 at the Michigan International Speedway.

Secretary of State Ruth Johnson last week unveiled the state's new standard license plate, which features the Pure Michigan logo.

"We’re always looking for new ways — and the license plates are a good example of that — to spread the Pure Michigan brand," Zimmermann said.

Email Melissa Anders at manders@mlive.com. Follow her on Twitter: @MelissaDAnders.