Tolkien movie prompts NZ coverage blitz

By Phil Boeyen, ShareChat Business News Editor

Monday 14th January 2002

Tourism New Zealand is lauding as 'phenomenal' the coverage the country is receiving from the first installment of the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy.

The tourist promotion body says new figures show that in the last three months in the United Kingdom 85 articles connecting The Fellowship of the Ring movie to New Zealand have been published, reaching a readership totalling more than 76 million.

"Tourism New Zealand's main objective of encouraging destinational coverage within articles about the film seems to have paid off," says chief executive George Hickton.

"80% of the coverage in the UK has included information on New Zealand as a destination."

Mr Hickton says Tourism New Zealand has been working to ensure that New Zealand's association with The Lord of the Rings is making its mark internationally and he believes the results globally have been phenomenal.

"In the UK, over 80 different features and articles in over 40 different publications, including all the major daily newspapers such as The Times and The Guardian, and magazines such as GQ and Conde Nast Traveller have reviews raving about New Zealand's scenic beauty.

"And with two more installments of the trilogy to yet be released, it gives New Zealand's profile a good base from which to build on."

One review of the movie in the Britain's Sunday Express said that "if locations were awarded Oscars, New Zealand would scoop the lot."

"With the uncertainty present in the global tourism market over this summer season, publicity like this can only be positive for New Zealand's profile," Mr Hickton says.

Comments from our readers

No comments yet