Fantasy islands

While we at StopPress feel the understated approach to destination marketing, as seen in Flight of the Conchords, is the best fit for New Zealand, connecting the country with a fantastical epic and getting the actors involved to swoon over it also works pretty well, as this behind-the-scenes clip from The Hobbit films shows. 

According to Tourism NZ's Active Considerer index, which monitors the opinions of travellers considering a trip to New Zealand, 82 percent of those surveyed in key markets said the links to the movie franchise and the 100% Middle-earth campaign increased their interest in New Zealand. 

In the US, a key market for the campaign, 73 percent of respondents said the campaign improved their opinion of New Zealand.

Tourism NZ attributes a ten percent increase in visitor numbers during the January – April period to the campaign, with a 23 percent bump in US visitor numbers.