FRD was engaged to develop a comprehensive tour plan at the Hobbiton Movie Set Tours in Matamata New Zealand. This included masterplanning, site works design and branding. The project presented a wonderful opportunity to raise the profile and sustainability of this tourist destination into the future. To achieve this, the site needed to appeal to a broad audience to ensure its ongoing place as a must-see tourist attraction within the following markets; New Zealand tourism, Middle-earth tourism and global film tourism.
The unique nature of film tourism requires a specialised approach to resolve the needs of visitors, while maintaining the integrity and authenticity of the experience. With the variety of visitors to Hobbiton, from devoted Tolkien fanbase to film aficionados, casual visitors and local tourists, the experience needed to cater to all, and all expectations. The complexity of this, therefore, required a staged and methodical approach to establish a thorough and comprehensive masterplan for the visitor experience.
