What a difference $10 million makes.

The Utah Office of Tourism and Film has come a long way since the days when all it had to promote the state was $900,000 — about the same amount Vail, Colo., used to pitch its summer season.

Now, instead of ranking near the bottom of all states in budgeted tourism dollars, Utah falls within the top 15, armed with a budget that is generating catchy television spots and slick magazine ads.

"The increased funding has made a difference," Leigh von der Esch said Wednesday to members of the Legislature's Workforce Services and Community and Economic Development Interim Committee. "When someone sitting on a plane sees an ad and they call you to tell you not only did they like the ad, they love the campaign, that speaks volumes. Our response both internationally and nationally on the brand and our advertising has been extremely positive."

The new funding has helped launch a series of 30-second television commercials targeted at Denver, Las Vegas and Los Angeles that urge viewers to "rise above the routine" by calling for a Utah travel guide. A new television ad called "Hello Winter," set to run this fall in Los Angeles, New York, Portland and San Diego, shows skiers racing down Utah slopes.

"We have two summer ads, one winter ad and we're currently shooting for our spring-summer campaign," von der Esch said. "The only other time we've had television in market is a follow-up to the 2002 Olympics with advertising during the Academy Awards in the L.A. market alone."

Von der Esch added that the office has plans to look at running ads on DirecTV and cable.

The television spots join a host of other promotional efforts, including a revised travel guide, revised scenic calendar, a new German travel planner, activity-specific brochures, new guides to Utah's state and national parks, banner ads on the Web and scenic wraps found on semi-trucks.

Preliminary results show the ads are perhaps paying off, von der Esch said. Tax revenues related to tourism are up.

The transient room tax on hotels in fiscal year 2005-06 reached $20.3 million, up 12.1 percent from the previous year. Municipality transient room tax revenues rose 21 percent to $1.1 million. Resort communities taxes increased to $10.6 million, up 9.3 percent. And the tourism, recreation, cultural, convention tax saw a 25.2 percent rise to $45.4 million, according to numbers von der Esch cited from the State Tax Commission.

Still, Utah's budget pales in comparison with some states and cities. Von der Esch said Las Vegas annually spends $160 million. Hawaii spends $70 million. Chicago and the state of Illinois combined spend about $39 million. And Colorado now spends $19 million.