OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington state is shuttering the official tourism agency that unifies its marketing message and abandoning all public support for one of its largest industries.

By the end of next week, it will be the only state in the nation without any money to spend on self-promotion.

The transition is the most extreme example of the widely varying strategies among states trying to balance budget cuts with ways to spur economic growth. Some are pouring millions of dollars into fresh marketing, while others like New York and Arizona are slashing their promotional spending to help shore up state budgets.

Then there’s Washington.

“What Washington has done puts that state on an island,” said Geoff Freeman, executive vice president of U.S. Travel Association. “No state at this point in time has been, with all due respect to Washington, as short-sighted as those leaders have been.”

Washington’s tourism spending dropped in recent years from about $7 million annually to about $2 million annually. Senate Republican Leader Mike Hewitt, who has for years sat on a commission that guides the state’s tourism strategy, said the full elimination of that money was an unfortunate consequence of the current budget crisis.

“When you’re taking kids off health care and raising tuition, you have to make some tough decisions,” Hewitt said.

While about half of states are shrinking their marketing budgets, the other half are increasing them, according to the U.S. Travel Association.

Michigan, which has consistently had one of the nation’s worst unemployment rates, has boosted its state-funded promotional spending from about $5 million per year in 2005 to $25 million per year now.

The state is in the middle of its largest national advertising buy — spending more than $11 million to splash its “Pure Michigan” message on cable. George Zimmermann, vice president for Travel Michigan, said their research indicates that a dollar spent on out-of-state advertising returns $3.29 in tax money alone — and much more for businesses.

“It’s a bit of a no-brainer,” Zimmermann said. “Tourism is not the answer to restoring the Michigan economy, but we do believe it’s one of the answers.”