Tourism in
New Zealand is an important source of revenue for the country’s economy and it
has an important status in people's minds.
But once we have visited the natural beauties of the country, experienced extreme activities such as bungee jumping and skydiving, or just enjoyed the atmosphere of the typical Maori villages, what is there left to do?
To that question any fan of Peter Jackson's movies would know what to answer: why not live the experience of one of the most epic sagas that has been created?
Thanks to the worldwide fame the Lord of The Rings saga has obtained over the last 15 years, guided tours offer the fans the possibility of being immersed in the stunning sceneries that rendered the movies so unique.
In fact every year, an average 50 000 people visiting New Zealand stated that the main or only reason for them to visit the country was related to “The Lord of The Rings” or “The Hobbit” sagas, and visited at least one film location, for an approximate value of 32.8 million NZ dollars in spend.
The most famous company is “Red Carpet Tours”, that propose several options for everybody: from a one-day tour to two full weeks exclusively dedicated to the discovery of the sceneries, the work behind the scenes and the only place that has not been dismantled after the movies were completed: Hobbiton.
In fact, during New Zealand’s peak visitor period around 800 visitors every day are estimated for this location alone, and the price of a ticket lies between 75 and 110 NZ dollars.
Therefore, it’s obvious that now for an important number of fans, New Zealand and Middle-Earth are almost the same thing, and the tourism sector in the country is placing its hopes on that factor in order not to be crushed by the appeal that its closest neighbor, Australia, is exercising all over the world.
The latest action that has been taken in order to take advantage of this comes from the national flight company, Air New Zealand, and its safety video that has become famous all over the web since it was shot.
In the video all the flight attendants and passengers that are shown, as well as
several other actors that are present are all not just inspired, but some also
directly taken from the movies in order to promote the video linking New
Zealand directly to the Middle-earth sagas.
Even the movie director Peter Jackson, who has been knighted for his significant contribution to New Zealand culture, is present in the videos, confirming the important relation that has been built between the country and his movies.
Even the movie director Peter Jackson, who has been knighted for his significant contribution to New Zealand culture, is present in the videos, confirming the important relation that has been built between the country and his movies.
But then
again, the question that may arise and concerns the tourism industry in New Zealand is still the same: to know whether the
people, after visiting New Zealand, feel like they have something more to
experience in the country or they have done everything they should and will
just move on to something new ?
Most of the time, after a trip in the country of the kiwis, people feel like they did not have enough time to do everything there is to do in the country.
Whether they spent a month or a year in the country, they feel like there is always something that remains to be done in New Zealand.
Maybe we could think that the charms of Middle-Earth really have the power to mesmerize people.
Most of the time, after a trip in the country of the kiwis, people feel like they did not have enough time to do everything there is to do in the country.
Whether they spent a month or a year in the country, they feel like there is always something that remains to be done in New Zealand.
Maybe we could think that the charms of Middle-Earth really have the power to mesmerize people.
Air New
Zealand Safety Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOw44VFNk8Y
Christophe A.
Hi Christophe,
ReplyDeleteThe video is quite funny! However, I think this vision of New Zealand is reductive comparing to what the country actually offers to its tourists.
Meggy C.
Hi Meggy,
DeleteI can only agree with you, but it is true that a lot of people when they are asked what is the first thing that comes to their mind when you talk about New Zealand tend to answer « The Lord of The Rings » or « The Hobbit », and that’s why the country takes advantage of it in order to promote the tourism industry in New Zealand.
It also has to be taken into account that once people land in New Zealand, even if their main or only reason is to visit the movies locations, it’s almost impossible for them not to be immersed in any traditional Maori experience to begin with, but also by visiting the locations, the only one that is man-made is Hobbiton, and all the other ones are New Zealand natural landscapes and locations, so people will actually be experiencing and getting to know the country in itself.
That might be for them just a first approach, but we could say that for a lot of people that otherwise wouldn’t get to be interested in New Zealand, the movies can be considered as a bridge to cross in order to be introduced to a first experience with the country.
Christophe
Good evening Christophe,
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, I didn't know that The Lord of The Rings was shot in New Zealand.
Have you ever been there ?
Diane. M
Hi Diane,
DeleteYes I've actually been lucky enough to spend some time in NZ and visit several of the places where the movies have been shot, and I was able to notice how important all this business is for the country