Taste Carolina Gourmet Food Tours are offering an array of holiday tours and special events to close out 2011. Get the scoop here.

Charlotte advertising and marketing agency Luquire George Andrews has won the N.C. state tourism account for the next five years, Charlotte Observer staff writer Mark Washburn reports.

During pitch meetings with the state, LGA offered proposals to promote tourism in fresh ways, including social media and other developing technologies, LGA President Peggy Brookhouse said Wednesday.

“Our point was that it’s a strong brand, and we just want to work with the division to enhance it and use technology,” said Brookhouse, who learned Tuesday that LGA had won the high-profile account beginning July 1.

Other major LGA clients include BB&T, Novant Health and Piedmont Natural Gas.

LGA was one of five finalists for the account, worth about $7 million annually, said Margo Metzger, spokeswoman for the N.C. Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development. Every five years, the account goes up for review.

Visitors to North Carolina's six ski areas spent $88 million last season on lift tickets, equipment rentals, lodging and more.

The total economic impact of the industry was $146 million, according to an economic-impact study commissioned by the N.C. Ski Areas Association. That includes an estimate of employment value and other ripple effects of the industry.

The industry provides 96 year-round jobs and 1,556 seasonal jobs, according to the analysis, conducted by RRC Associates, a market-research firm in Boulder, Colo.

The state tourism agency is unveiling a new ad campaign today that encourages residents to visit North Carolina first.

The ads highlight North Carolina as "an outdoor playground, an urban experience where people reconnect and a place where children and families bond," according to the state Division of Tourism, Film and Sports Development.

The agency is once again teaming up with state media groups to deliver its message: the N.C. Association of Broadcasters, the N.C. Press Foundation and the N.C. Outdoor Advertising Association. Consequently, the new ads will appear across
the media spectrum -- online, print, radio and billboards.

Despite the economic downturn, state and local officials are stepping up efforts to attract tourists and business travelers to this region.

The N.C. Department of Commerce, for example, is starting an advertising campaign aimed at highlighting the state's attractions to residents, said Lynn Minges, assistant secretary for tourism, marketing and global branding.

The campaign will feature “affordable indulgences” designed to attract residents who still want to take vacations but aren't able or willing to spend lots of money to travel, Minges told several hundred people who attended the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau's annual meeting on Thursday.

The visitors bureau also is trying new strategies, including more social media marketing, said CEO Dennis Edwards. One effort involves creating 70 online video clips featuring local events and places. And the group will create new Web sites catering to niche tourism markets, such as gay or women travelers.

People are traveling, but they’re booking late, looking for deals. See photos from activities at the N.C. coast this past week.

Not to be outdone by NCDOT and its new highway map, Martha Glass of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announces the 2009 Guide and Map to North Carolina Agritourism Farms.

Agritourism?

"An agritourism farm is a farm or a vineyard which invites visitors to see the production of the farm and to participate in edicational, informational and recreational activities which relate to the farm," says Glass, the ag department's agritourism manager. "They learn about agriculture while they’re having fun, we hope."

Call Glass at 919-733-7887, ext 276, or e-mail her to request a free copy of the map, which describes 213 farms that feature barnyard animals, tours and food, fancy dinners, pick-your-own produce, hayrides and mazes, lodging and camping, and walking and riding trails.

Or go to www.visitncfarms.com to search a database of 431 agritourism farms by topic or by county.

From the database listing for Waller Farms in Durham County:

Beginning in late April, we offer Pic-Your-Own strawberries. We also have pre-picked strawberries available. These should last into June.

We also offer seasonal vegetables starting with spring onions, cabbage, lettuce, etc. Then a full supply of fresh picked tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, eggplant, sweet corn, etc. during the summer. In the fall, Waller Family Farm continues to offer produce such as collards, cabbage, turnips, butternut squash, etc.

We also offer Educational Farm Tours to our local schools. Join Farmer Mark as he leads the class from the chickens, to cows, to goats and pigs, teaching why they are important and answering all questions. Throwing in a little humor, the trip is fun and educational. At the end of the tour, each student goes to the patch to get their very own pumpkin.