Two giant LOTR eagles, one with Gandalf astride, hung over travellers at Wellington Airport for 12 years.
Expedia is now picking LOTR to spark interest in Wellington as a destination again in 2027.
The travel booking site has released its Unpack ’27: The Trends in Travel report, which includes a list of the most popular set-jetting locations for next year.
Set-jetting is now an established travel behaviour, inspired by locations promoted in movies and TV shows.
Expedia says the LOTR franchise remains the No 1 set-jetting driver in the world, covering 27% of market demand. With a new film due to be released next year, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, that hype is expected to increase.
Mt Potts Station provided some of the dramatic backdrops for the Lord of the Rings movies.
In the new guide, Wellington is ranked fifth globally on the list of popular set-jetting locations. Expedia says the list is compiled using insights from first-party data, social listening and 26,000 travellers.
The travel site also mentions the release of The Legend of Zelda as spiking interest in Wellington.
“Five years after Expedia first named set-jetting as a travel trend, nearly one in five travellers now report having booked a trip to a destination after seeing it featured in a TV show or movie.
“In 2027, the films and shows that will drive the set-jetting trend are highly anticipated new seasons, sequels, and extensions of franchises and fandoms travellers love.”
Movie stars Liv Tyler and Orlando Bloom ride through Wellington to the world premiere of The Return of the King in 2003. Photo / Getty
Tourism New Zealand names Hobbiton as one of the country’s most distinctive tourism attractions and features it in its latest 100% Pure New Zealand international campaign.
General manager international Angela Blair said: “You almost can’t separate Middle Earth from New Zealand anymore.
“It’s incredible that 25 years later, some 14% of holiday visitors to New Zealand still credit these films as influencing their decision to come.
“New Zealand’s tourism sector has taken up the opportunity to attract this segment of visitors and over the years film tourism operators now cater to this segment specifically, visiting film locations.”
Two Lord of the Rings eagles, one with Gandalf astride, hung in Wellington Airport for 12 years.
Wellington’s Wētā Workshop started nearly 40 years ago, but after the success of LOTR, fans were given behind-the-scenes access with the opening of the Wētā Cave in 2008.
Two years later, tours began, bringing in 35,000 guests in the first year and increasing to more than 100,000 visitors annually.
Wētā Workshop head of tourism Sam Holdich said the LOTR connection is still drawing people to its experiences 25 years on.
Holdich credits the films for the initial tourist demand for Wētā, which has since expanded to Auckland with its Wētā Workshop Unleashed experience opening in 2020.
Wētā’s attractions welcome 200,000 guests annually.
Hobbiton is one of New Zealand’s most distinctive and visited tourist attractions.
Wētā is making the most of the 25th anniversary hype, with two special screenings of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring in Wellington and Auckland, hosted by co-founders Richard Taylor and Tania Rodger.
And in classic Hollywood style, they’re keeping other future plans under wraps.
“This summer we’re introducing an exclusive new cinema experience for fans of The Lord of the Rings at Wētā Workshop in Wellington, while we can’t share more than that for now, watch this space.”
Guests to Wētā Workshop Unleashed have included Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Tourism Minister Louise Upston. Photo / Dean Purcell
Tourism NZ is also utilising the milestone to cement New Zealand’s association with the franchise.
“As it’s the 25th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings this year, we look forward to continuing to tell this story to the world by working with global travel and lifestyle media to make sure that New Zealand continues to be talked about in those conversations,” Blair said.
Other destinations Expedia has picked to be popular with the set-jetting crowd next year include Greece and Monaco, inspired by Emily in Paris season six, Cannes and Saint-Tropez in France, inspired by The White Lotus season four, Seoul in South Korea, inspired by K-Pop: The Debut, and Toronto and Montreal in Canada, inspired by Heated Rivalry season two.
Grace Symmans is a Wellington-based reporter who covers news in the capital. Grace joined NZME in 2025 as a producer for Wellington Mornings on Newstalk ZB. She can be emailed at grace.symmans@nzme.co.nz.