Tolkien tourism is a phenomenon of fans of '' The Lord of the Rings''

fictional universe A fictional universe, or fictional world, is a self-consistent setting with events, and often other elements, that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed, or fictional realm (or world). Fictional universes may ...

travelling to sites of film- and book-related significance. It is especially notable in New Zealand, site of the

movie trilogy A trilogy is a set of three works of art that are connected and can be seen either as a single work or as three individual works. They are commonly found in literature, film, and video games, and are less common in other art forms. Three-part wor ...

Peter Jackson Sir Peter Robert Jackson (born 31 October 1961) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and producer. He is best known as the director, writer and producer of the ''Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (2001–2003) and the ''Hobbit'' trilogy ( ...

, where it is credited as having raised the annual tourism numbers.

Origins

The three films ('' The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'', '' The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers'', and '' The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'') based on the novel '' The Lord of the Rings'' by J. R. R. Tolkien were shot in various locations throughout New Zealand, and many of these locations have been preserved and altered to encourage the tourism that makes up a significant portion of the country's economy. On some Lord of the Rings film location tours, tourists are provided time to indulge in

cosplay Cosplay, a portmanteau of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture, ...

, and dress as characters from the books or films.

In New Zealand

New Zealand is in a unique position to capitalize on its scenery. Tolkien tourist attention is less geared towards visiting New Zealand's national parks and more focused on scenery that was used as back drops in movies. For example, Mount Olympus, dramatic pillars of rock carved out by nature and time, sits in Kahurangi National Park near Nelson in a remote corner of the South Island. Since it featured in '' The Fellowship of the Ring'', the first of ''The Lord of the Rings'' trilogy, Mount Olympus has become a spot for Tolkien tourists. Mount Sunday, in a remote area west of the Canterbury plains (upper reaches of the Rangitata Valley near Erewhon) served as the location of Edoras. Although no traces of the filming remain, complete day tour packages to it are available from Christchurch. Tongariro Nationalpark Mount Ruhapeu

Film NZ—the national film promotion board—advertises that New Zealand offers an English-speaking, largely nonunion work force, along with a kaleidoscope of urban and rural landscapes. "Experience New Zealand, Home of Middle Earth," urges Tourism New Zealand's Web site, and once tourists get there, they are invited to find film locations around New Zealand with a free "Middle Earth map." Currently New Zealand is negotiating with Peter Jackson and New Line Cinema, the films' producers, to construct a permanent Lord of the Rings museum for some of the 40,000 props and costumes now warehoused in New Zealand.

Jan Howard Finder Jan Howard Finder (March 2, 1939 – February 26, 2013) was an American academic administrator, career counselor, science fiction writer, filker, hostelling tour guide, cosplayer, and fan. He was a guest of honor at the 1993 Worldcon, ...

, the science fiction writer, has organized special

hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory, with shared use of a lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex and have private or shared b ...

-based tours of New Zealand to see places filmed in ''Lord of the Rings''.

Economic effects

The annual tourist influx to New Zealand grew 40%, from 1.7 million in 2000 to 2.4 million in 2006, which some have attributed to be to a large degree due to ''The Lord of the Rings'' phenomenon. 6% of international visitors cited the film as a reason for traveling to the country. "You can argue that ''Lord of the Rings'' was the best unpaid advertisement that New Zealand has ever had", said Bruce Lahood, United States and Canadian regional manager for

Tourism New Zealand Tourism New Zealand is the marketing agency responsible for promoting New Zealand as a tourism destination internationally. It is the trading name of the New Zealand Tourism Board, a Crown entity established under the New Zealand Tourism Board Ac ...

. An article published by The New York Times contradicts Lahood, stating that New Zealand subsidized the movie trilogy with $150 million.

''The Hobbit'' filming

Many experts and New Zealanders hoped for a renewed Tolkien effect because '' The Hobbit'' was also filmed in New Zealand. Whether or not this was vitally important to New Zealand's tourism industry was a big debating point during short-lived fears that industrial disputes could make the film production occur outside of the country. The government of New Zealand also saw some criticism for increasing movie subsidies and creating laws tailored for US movie companies, solely out of fear of losing the production. Some have subsequently called the price of $25 million (in further financial subsidies and specific laws made for the producers benefit) that New Zealand had to pay to retain the movie 'extortionate' and argued that the discussion had occurred in a climate of 'hyperbole and hysteria'. An even higher price of at least $109 million has also been cited.

South Africa and the United Kingdom

Tolkien tourism has also existed to a lesser extent independent from the Jackson movies, in places associated with him in England and South Africa. Tolkien worked for much of his career in Oxford, England. The colleges where Tolkien taught, the pubs that he and the

Inklings The Inklings were an informal literary discussion group associated with J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis at the University of Oxford for nearly two decades between the early 1930s and late 1949. The Inklings were literary enthusiasts who pra ...

frequented, the church he attended, and his former homes in the city all attract tourist interest. The Eagle and Child pub in particular capitalises on Tolkien's former patronage in its signage and interior decoration.

The Tolkien Society The Tolkien Society is an educational charity and literary society devoted to the study and promotion of the life and works of the author and academic J. R. R. Tolkien. It began informally in 1969, and held its inaugural meeting in 1970. It ho ...

organises the

Oxonmoot Oxonmoot is a conference and fan convention organized by The Tolkien Society devoted to celebrate and study the life and works of J.R.R. Tolkien. It takes place every year in Oxford, England, around 22 September, the date of Bilbo and Frodo Ba ...

in one of the colleges September each year. In 1992 the centennial was celebrated in Oxford. Tolkien lived first near and then in Birmingham, England for most of his childhood. In 2005,

hosted Tolkien 2005 at Aston University in the city where Tolkien lived and taught for many years to celebrate The Lord of the Rings 50th anniversary. Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa on 3 January 1892. The

Bank of Africa Bank of Africa (BOA) is a Moroccan banking conglomerate headquartered in Casablanca, Morocco, with banking operations in Morocco and eighteen other African countries. Its main predecessor entities started in 1959 in Morocco and in 1982 in Mali. ...

building site has been recovered (a commemoration plaque used to be on the new building on the lot but this was moved elsewhere due to theft risk), the grave of Tolkien's father has been recovered and a new tombstone erected. In addition, the Anglican church where Tolkien was baptized still stands, inclusive of the baptism font. Tolkien's father's last will and testament (written in Dutch) can also be read at one of the municipal offices. The National Afrikaans Literary Museum also has a number of copies of Die Smid van Groot-Wootton.

References