Lord of the Tourists

As all of you know by now, I am probably one of the biggest Lord of the Rings nerds in the world. I grew up on these movies and read the books for the first time when I was only nine, collected all of Tolkien’s books (some even in French), and even taken an honors seminar on the series. This was one of the first reasons why I came on this trip, and I can say that I am definitely not disappointed- from the moment I stepped into the airport I could tell that I would enjoy my time here. Obviously, a vast majority of people know that Lord of the Rings was filmed here, and that New Zealand is still almost wholly and specifically known for this trilogy. But, most people don’t know just how much these films aided this small island country.

            Now, it’s obvious why New Zealand likes Lord of the Rings so much. For one, the movies had many economic beneficial effects for the country of New Zealand, where they were filmed. New Zealand recognized this, and has capitalized on the success of these movies. Air New Zealand painted two jets in Tolkien themes murals, the country has released stamps with Tolkien characters on them, and there have even been gold coins issued with different characters stamped into them. The country has seen a 50% increase in arrivals to New Zealand since Lord of the Rings, and a huge majority of people traveling to New Zealand do it with at least the knowledge that Lord of the Rings was filmed there; many people make the pilgrimage every year. Tourism has actually become New Zealand’s second largest industry in previous years (behind dairy). Not only did it help the economy though tourism, but the filming of these movies also helped by adding businesses and thousands of jobs. Peter Jackson founded multiple different studios in New Zealand such as Weta Workshop, Stone Street Studios, and Park Road Post Production. These film production companies have added billions of dollars into the economy in the past decade- All three of the Lord of the Rings films are in the top 36 highest grossing films of all time, with Return of the King at number eight with a worldwide gross of $1,119,929,521. There has never been film industry in New Zealand, and because of these movies, the industry is booming as never before. This country’s economy improved vastly and was brought into the spotlight thanks to Lord of the Rings.

In addition, the movies had many positive effects on New Zealand and the spreading of environmental messages. If one looks deep enough, the relationship between the narrative and nature is easy to find. As well as the freedom of the people, nature is also at stake in the film, and one of the recurring themes is that evil will destroy beautiful places in the world. Many of the things that have been described as evil beings, such as Sauron, orcs, trolls, etc., are shown constantly destroying nature, and on the other hand, many essentially good things in the work are based in nature- the Hobbits who live off of the land in the idyllic shire, the Ents, and even the two original trees (Telperion and Laurelin) of Valinor. One of the loudest voices about the environmental context is Samwise Gamgee’s. Throughout the entire story he is the down-to-earth, nature loving gardener, and that characterization carries over quite well into the movies; even on the slopes of Mount Doom he remains hopeful with thoughts of the beautiful fields and trees of his home. The country has used this to their advantage to spread environmental conservations messages more than ever before. Many hope that the beautiful landscapes of New Zealand will inspire people to want to join the fight to protect nature and the environment.

While Lord of the Rings isn’t the only good thing to come out of New Zealand, not by far, it will most likely remain one of the most widely known and popular events for years to come. New Zealand handled this sudden fame beautifully, and has managed to prosper off of it for over a decade now with no sign of declination (mostly thanks to the new Hobbit trilogy here and the permanent Hobbiton installed). Lord of the Rings themed items and adventures are everywhere you look, and whether they made the best of a bad situation or they truly enjoy having the fame of such popular scenery, no one can say that New Zealanders look a gift horse in the mouth.