by James Ruggia
Last updated: 7:00 AM ET, Tue November 26, 2013
These days when you arrive in Wellington, New Zealand's Airport, you're immediately greeted by the sign "Welcome to Middle Earth."
Fans of the works of J.R Tolkien know Middle Earth as a land inhabited by hobbits, wizards, orks and now destination marketing gurus. On Dec. 2, the day that the second installment of Peter Jackson's Hobbit Trilogy, "The Desolation of Smaug", is to host its red carpet preview in Hollywood, Air New Zealand (ANZ) will also rollout its new Tolkien-inspired livery on one of its Boeing 777-300s.
Why so much emphasis on these films?
Tourism New Zealand (TNZ) did wonderfully well when it marketed the first of Jackson's Tolkien trilogies, "The Lord of the Rings" (2001 to 2003) and this latest trilogy based on Tolkien's novel "The Hobbit" is also doing quite well.
A survey by TNZ found that last year's Tolkien inspired marketing activity increased the interest in New Zealand of 82 percent of the survey's respondents. Between January and March this year some 8.5 percent of visitors cited The Hobbit Trilogy as a factor in stimulating their interest in New Zealand and 1 percent said it was the most important factor.
To further fan the flames of Middle Earth, ANZ ran a contest rewarding three participants with a chance to attend the Hollywood premiere of "The Desolation of Smaug" on Dec. 2.
Another contestant will win a trip for two in New Zealand. The contestants had to watch an ANZ video inspired by "The Hobbit" entitled "Just Another Day in Middle Earth".
The video features a range of ANZ staff from pilots and flight attendants to air marshals and baggage handlers alongside dwarf characters from the films.
New Zealand has been having difficulties in its European markets and so the strength of "The Hobbit" in Asia and the Americas has been a big help.
Speaking in the New Zealand Herald, TNZ's General Manager for corporate affairs, Chris Roberts, said "Arrivals from America have grown during 2013, after the release of the first Hobbit movie and our focused marketing efforts with our 100 percent Middle-earth, 100 percent Pure New Zealand campaign."
Jackson has been a willing partner for TNZ when it comes to integrating the marketing of his films and the country's tourism.
Jackson owns a 50 percent stake in Hobbiton, an attraction built around the former sets used in the making of both trilogies. Hobbiton sits on a 500-hectare site on a sheep farm about three hours from Auckland.
The site was chosen in 1998 by Jackson who took an aerial tour of New Zealand in search of ideal locations for his Tolkien films. The Hobbiton site averages 1,000 visitors a day who pay NZ$75 ($61.42 US) for the two-hour tour.
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