International media coverage of New Zealand's association with The Hobbit Trilogy is growing following last week's activities by Tourism New Zealand, in Los Angeles.
LOS ANGELES – The stars of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug twice graced the pages of The Book of New Zealand before the Los Angeles public had the chance to experience their own taste of 100% Middle-earth, 100% Pure New Zealand.
A video of some of the public who visited The Book of New Zealand is available on Tourism New Zealand’s You Tube channel.
The display was an innovative walk-through, multi-media installation that spanned the length of two tennis courts and brought the New Zealand visitor experience to life.
It depicted four New Zealand filming locations, along with four actual film sets, from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, released in New Zealand today.
On its final day in Los Angeles, The Book of New Zealand became the venue for two international media conferences attended by cast members Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Dean O’Gorman and Aidan Turner, as well as screenwriter Philippa Boyens and the film Trilogy’s screenwriter/director/producer Sir Peter Jackson.
Then came the turn of movie fans who had entered one of five competitions to win the chance to see The Book of New Zealand.
Tourism New Zealand’s Chief Executive Kevin Bowler says the Book of New Zealand became a hive of activity following its opening, with cast interviews, VIP visits, media conferences and finally the open day.
“We received nothing but positive feedback from people on what they saw and experienced here and we know The Book of New Zealand has been a phenomenal success.
“All international media who attended the premiere event in Los Angeles were given broadcast footage of The Making of The Book of New Zealand; a highlights reel from the opening night and images of cast in the book.
“That footage is now been seen around the world thanks to stories in publications such as French broadcaster CANAL+, the Telegraph in the UK and a seven minute piece on Entertainment Tonight.
“Our objective with The Book of New Zealand, was to support the international story of New Zealand as a fun, must-see tourism destination, as well as an innovative and creative nation, and a great place to make films and do business,” says Kevin.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
