(MENAFN- Arab Times) WELLINGTON New Zealand (AP) Hobbits elves and dragons appear to be luring tourists to New Zealand as fans await their first glimpse of the second movie in "The Hobbit" trilogy.
Figures released this month by government agency Tourism New Zealand show that international vacations to New Zealand rose 10 percent from January through April when compared to the same period last year. The agency said a survey indicated that 8.5 percent of visitors cited "The Hobbit" as one reason for coming and that 13 percent took part in some kind of hobbit-themed tourism like visiting a film set.
Warner Bros. announced Monday it will release the first teaser-trailer of "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" at 1 p.m. EDT Tuesday. The second film will premiere Dec. 13 in Los Angeles.
The trilogy is directed by New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson and shot in his home country. The opener "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" was released December 2012. It received mixed reviews but proved extraordinarily popular with audiences earning a little over $1 billion at the box office.
In an email Jackson's spokesman Matt Dravitzki said fans can expect "a surprise or two" in this week's trailer "but I can't say anything more than that!"
A little over 500000 tourists visited New Zealand for vacations in the first four months of the year. About the same number again visited for other reasons such as for work or to visit relatives.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.