AusLeisure

Hobbit mania erupted in New Zealand's capital on Wednesday evening for the world premiere of Peter Jackson's new trilogy.

The first of the three movies - prequels to the Lord of the Rings trilogy - was shown at Wellington's Embassy Theatre on Wednesday evening during which the city was rebranded as 'the Middle of Middle Earth'.

Thousands of fans, some in costume, gathered around the theatre for the screening with some camping overnight to secure spots close to the 500 metre-long red carpet that led to the theatre, which was decorated to look like the entrance to a Hobbit house.

'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' is the first film of the trilogy, which altogether cost $500m to make and was filmed across New Zealand. The second film is set for release in December 2013 and the third in July 2014.

Wellington City Council put months of planning and just over NZ$1 million into preparations for the premiere, Radio New Zealand reported.

Tourism New Zealand is aiming to convert the international attention New Zealand will draw from the movies, into attracting overseas visitors to the country.

In a statement, Tourism New Zealand outlined that it wants to emphasis how easy it is for people to come to New Zealand, see 'Middle Earth' firsthand and experience all the country has to offer.

The statement read "association with The Hobbit movies offers New Zealand a wider opportunity to enhance its international profile as an innovative and creative nation, and as a great place to make films and do business."

New Zealand Goverment agencies are working together to build a complete 'New Zealand story' covering the tourism, film, and business sectors.

Tourism New Zealand conducts regular research across key markets, with people already considering a trip to New Zealand.

Research conducted from May to July this year found that 57% of people already considering a trip to New Zealand were aware of The Hobbit trilogy.

Of those aware of the films, 87% know they were filmed in New Zealand and 58% are fans of the Hobbit.

The International Visitor Survey from 2004, completed following the release of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, found that 6% of visitors to New Zealand (around 120,000 - 150,000 people) cite The Lord of the Rings as being one of the main reasons for visiting New Zealand.

1% of visitors said that the Lord of the Rings was their main or only reason for visiting and while this may appear to be a small proportion, this 1% equated to approximately NZ$32.8 million in spending.

Since 2004, an average 47,000 visitors each year have visited a film location.

Tourism New Zealand added "anecdotal feedback from many overseas markets about the success of the Lord of the Rings movies also suggests that they made a significant contribution to raising New Zealand's profile in several of our key markets."

For more information go to www.tourismnewzealand.com/sector-marketing/the-hobbit/

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