To celebrate New Zealand’s 15 years as the real Middle-earth, Tourism New Zealand has come up with a unique way for tourists to explore the country – reimagining its experiences through the eyes of Middle-earth’s most loved characters.
Middle-earth travel engages individuals through a unique quiz designed to discover which character they would be. They are then provided with a character-inspired journey throughout New Zealand with an itinerary on Tourism New Zealand’s website newzealand.com.
For Wizards, it’s all about magical experiences – stargazing at the Dark Sky Reserve or discovering the underground majesty of the Waitomo Glow Worm Caves. Dwarves are a little more down to earth, and will take a journey that connects to the land and New Zealand’s amazing culture.
Traveling as a Hobbit, one will have an itinerary packed with great hospitality, enjoying New Zealand’s best food and wine.
For an Elf? They’re all about the luxury – spas, wine and sailing.
Since the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 15 years ago, director Peter Jackson says nothing has changed, that New Zealand is and will always be the real Middle-earth.
“New Zealand has such a variety of landscapes from lush green forests, to soaring mountains. The grandeur of these landscapes saw tourists flock to our shores, and made a huge impact on the tourism industry. New Zealand is the perfect Middle-earth and a real place that visitors can experience for years and years to come,” Jackson said.
The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies have had huge appeal and attract thousands of visitors annually, with international tourism contributing NZ$14.5 billion to the economy last year. The International Visitor survey in June 2016 showed 16 percent of international tourists last year cited The Hobbit trilogy as the initial reason they considered a trip to New Zealand.
To explore the real Middle Earth, head on over to www.newzealand.com/realmiddleearth.