Written by new-contact on Jun 14, 2013. Posted in On Location

Hobbit film tourism helps boost US-New Zealand visits for early 2013

Peter Jackson’s first Hobbit movie helped boost film tourism to New Zealand in the first quarter of 2013. There was a 23% increase in the number of Americans visiting the country and about one in ten US visitors said the film affected their travel decisions.

The figures from Tourism New Zealand (TNZ) assessed the significance of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and the 100% Middle-earth, 100% New Zealand promotional campaign.

“This increase in holiday arrivals over January-April perfectly coincides with the release of the first Hobbit film and a significant increase in our efforts to promote New Zealand as a holiday destination off the back of it,” said TNZ Chief Executive Kevin Bowler.

“Finally, new information gathered from the International Visitor Survey shows that 8.5% of all international visitors surveyed January to March this year say The Hobbit was a factor in stimulating their interest in New Zealand as a destination.”

Nearly 15% of all foreign visitors to the country took in a specific Hobbit-related tourism experience like an organised location tour. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was released internationally in December 2012, with parts two and three scheduled for December 2013 and December 2014, respectively.

To read more about the Hobbit filming in New Zealand click here.