Tolkien tourism

Tolkien tourism is a phenomenon of fans of all or part of "The Lord of the Rings" fictional universe travelling to sites of film- and book-related significance. It is especially notable in New Zealand, site of the extremely successful movie trilogy by Peter Jackson, where it is credited as having raised the annual tourism numbers by several hundreds of thousands.

Origins

The phenomenon of media-driven tourism is one that has escalated in recent decades, directly tied to the predominance of the internet as means of communication and the increased availability of travel. A number of feature films have inspired the creation of tours of the sites where the films were made or where the events that they recreate originally took place. These tours arise independent of the film studios, in response to the films’ popularity and public curiosity about the making of the films or the stories they tell. Through these practices, films transform the locations in which they were shot into destinations, and complicate the significance of historical sites implicated in the stories that they tell. Movies create destinations out of the locations in which they are set or filmed.

The Lord of the Rings tourism is one such case. The three films (', ', and "") based the novel by J. R. R. Tolkien were shot in various locations throughout New Zealand, and many of these spaces have been preserved and altered to encourage the tourism that makes up a significant portion of the country’s economy. Tourists travel across the globe hoping to catch a glimpse of Middle-earth as it was portrayed on-screen. The activities that most tourists participate in can only offer 'an experience' as opposed to full immersion into a foreign culture. When a government anticipates benefits of tourism, it tends to invest a large portion of revenue back into the tourist industry. This governmentally sanctioned encouragement creates space in two ways: a space is allowed for tourism in the economy, while at the same time tourist spaces are isolated from ‘authentic’ culture. When tourists visit, or rather go to see, a country, they end up being exposed only to what the country wishes to show them. As a result, a visitor’s perception of the country’s actual culture is limited as only a small space (or isolated subculture) is seen. The space created by Lord of the Rings tourism is a result of people collectively defining the places, events, and symbols that are deemed important and somehow meaningful to this specific group of travelers. [MacCannell, Dean. "The Tourist: A New Theory of the Leisure Class". New York: Schocken Books, 1976.]

Such tenacious and enthusiastic folk may sometimes travel dressed as characters from the books or films, indulging in what is known throughout fandom as cosplay. Avid fans traveling to both well-known and obscure locations related to "The Lord of the Rings" are referred to as "Tolkien tourists".

Many have speculated as to why "The Lord of the Rings" fandom saw the boom that it did in the aftermath of the films. [ [http://lotr.ugo.com/movies/news.php?id=169 'Lord of the Rings' a boon for NZ tourism] ]

In New Zealand

New Zealand is in a unique position to capitalize on its spectacular scenery. Currently 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 New Zealand’s stunning south island. The mountain has rarely been touched by human feet. However, since it featured in "The Fellowship of the Ring", the first of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, Mount Olympus has become a must-see spot for these Tolkien Tourists. Fact|date=April 2008

These Lord of the Rings fans take helicopter tours over the once-isolated rocky outcrops. It is the same for an ancient forest of beech trees in Paradise near Queenstown. On screen, these are the woods of Lothlórien, home to Tolkien’s elves. Off screen, Paradise lives up to its name as what is considered a tranquil, breathtaking spot on the outskirts of Queenstown. These, and more than 150 other locations around New Zealand, have become globally famous as the fantastical world of Tolkien’s Middle-earth, yet virtually all of them exist in pure form in one small country at the southern edge of the world—an endless source of adventure for those who travel from across the globe to see them.

Most tourists do not understand that their perception of a culture is an event created to meet tourist expectations. These preconceived notions result from the tourist idea of a space, which itself is a manifestation of popular consciousness. Like its Canadian counterpart, 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 [ [http://www.newzealand.com/USA/ The official site for New Zealand Travel & Business: US Edition > New Zealand ] ] , 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. [cite news |first=Michael |last=Cieply |title=‘The Rings’ Prompts a Long Legal Mire |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/16/movies/16ring.html |work=The New York Times |date=2007-02-16 ] This museum would be yet another newly created monument for the expectant tourist gaze.

Economic effects

The annual tourist influx to New Zealand jumped from 1.7 million in 2000 to 2.4 million today - a 40 percent surge - which some have attributed to be to a large degree due to "The Lord of the Rings" phenomenon. Fact|date=April 2008 "You can argue that Lord of the Rings was the best unpaid advertisement that New Zealand has ever had" (Gilsdorf, 2008), remarks Bruce Lahood, US and Canadian regional manager for Tourism New Zealand. [Clark, Helen. “Launch of NZES and NZEECS”- Prime Minister Speech. http://www.med.govt.nz/templates/MultipageDocumentTOC____31961.aspx. 2007.]

Activities

Tolkien tourists often own memorabilia such as replica props or blueprints from the films and books.

There are many Lord of the Rings fan clubs and many Tolkien Tourists regularly attend Lord of the Rings conventions (called "cons"), often dressed as one of the characters. Some cons such as Anime Expo and ComicCon are not LotR specific, but still feature LotR booths and events.

There is a persistent stereotype that amongst Tolkien Tourists and other LotR fans there are many speakers of Tolkien’s constructed language of Elvish.

See also

* Impact on popular culture of Lord of the Rings

References