A conservative think tank that is influential with the state's Republican-controlled Legislature wants to abolish the Utah Office of Tourism.

The recommendation is one of 10 offered by the Sutherland Institute as the state faces an estimated $850 million budget shortfall. The think tank says tourism spending is a waste because air travel hasn't grown enough and visitation to state and national parks has declined from their peak in the late 1990s.

However, state figures show overall visitation and tourist spending has grown significantly in the past five years, when the state increased its advertising budget.

State statistics show state and local governments have received more than $12 in tax revenue for every $1 spent on advertising.