New Zealand filmmaker and screenwriter Sir Peter Jackson is best known for making films like Lord of the Rings (trilogy) and the Hobbit (trilogy) – he was the director, writer and producer of those movies. Not only were those movies successful at the box office, those films were also responsible for putting New Zealand on the global map and giving impetus to film tourism in New Zealand.
New Zealand is now regarded as home of the fantasy Middle-earth where the Hobbit films are based, helped along by Tourism New Zealand marketing aimed at cashing in on the movies’ appeal.
When the first Lord of the Rings film was shot here, very few Kiwis could foresee the scale or the legacy that the movie series would go on to create.
Here’s how these movies have impacted film tourism in New Zealand:
- New Zealand is among the world’s top film destination today and attracts film tourists from around the world
- Most tourists to New Zealand know the Hobbit was filmed here, and choose a holiday destination based on their favourite films.
- Nearly a third of holiday visitors to New Zealand have had a Hobbit “experience”.
- Unlike most film-tourism locations, New Zealand has no red ropes or fences and fans can stand in the places where the stars stood.
New Zealand has indeed taken film tourism to “another level”, and the country plans to keep investing so that visitors get to experience “something new each year”.
Also Read: Bollywood films shot in New Zealand
