LMGI COMPASS
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Fall 2019
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worked during peak season. Russell's brother and father now
work the farm while he manages Hobbiton. A restaurant has
been added and the property is available for special events.
2014 government spending statistics estimate of the $17.2 bil-
lion spent on domestic and international tourism, $142 million
was spent visiting Hobbiton. There are several tour operators
available, including ones for those who enjoy cosplay (a port-
manteau of costume play for more extreme fans), providing
LOTR tours.
Another business that sprung from the making of the films
is the Weta Workshop, a world-renowned special effects and
prosthetics workshop that is a tourism destination of its own.
Guests can tour the Weta Cave to view displays of props from
various films, a behind-the-scenes documentary, and items and
replicas for sale made by their artists. They also provide an
area for photo ops with life-sized sculptures.
T
ourism New Zealand (TNI) worked closely with the LOTR
production and studio to create successful, advantageous
marketing plans and PR campaigns which they continue to
do with other films shot in New Zealand. LOTR continues to be
a model for successful film tourism. A New Zealand tour op-
erator was a guest speaker for a Northern Ireland conference
regarding maximizing screen tourism opportunities. Tourism
Northern Ireland is also setting a fine example not only in pro-
moting screen tourism, but in assisting to develop local busi-
nesses based on capturing these particular visitors extending
the economic impact of filming on location.
"33,000 visitors
were recorded in
2011, 232,000 in
the same time period
in 2014 and 360,000
in 2016."
