Overwrought Down Under: is Bilbo Baggins in the bag?
Monday, 26 Oct, 2010
0
From the chief executive of the country’s tourism organisation to the guys who run the Lord of the Ring tour bus, New Zealand is holding its breath as its government and Warner Brothers battle terms out for filming the $500m The Hobbit.
New Zealand’s tourism industry has been reaping the rewards of director Peter Jackson’s phenomenally successful Lord of the Rings trilogy since 2001 when the first film was released.
And just as it was rubbing its hand at the prospect of Jackson shooting his next film, a dispute over actors’ pay and conditions has threatened this multi-million pound mini industry.
The row has prompted Jackson to suggest he may take his movie elsewhere – possibly even to the UK, where writer JRR Tolkien actually set his stories.
This week makers Warner Brothers are meeting with New Zealand prime minister John Key and economic development minister Gerry Brownlee in Wellington to try to come to a conclusion about the location.
Meanwhile locals have been rallying for the film to stay in New Zealand, with thousands of protesters in Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch dressing up as Tolkien characters and waving placards saying “New Zealand is Middle Earth” in a bid to make an impression on the Hollywood bigshots ar Warner Brothers.
Prime minister Key’s personal intervention in the debate shows the importance to his country of the film. He told New Zealand’s media this week: “I’d love to tell you it’s a done deal, but we’re a long way away from being a done deal. There are a number of issues that we’d need to resolve."
Film New Zealand, which works to encourage film makers to shoot in the destination, said the upheaval has prompted other directors to question New Zealand as a viable destination.
Its chief executive Gisella Carr said: “What we’re fielding at the moment, and others in New Zealand are as well, are questions about ‘hmm, what’s going on? I can see something’s happening, not really sure I understand the detail, but what will it mean for my project?”
Warner Brothers has indicated it will make a decision later this week.
by Dinah Hatch
Dinah
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025