If "The Hobbit" pays off as well for New Zealand tourism as director Peter Jackson's original Tolkien trilogy, the country's tourism coffers will be overflowing with coins of every kind.
“Lord of the Rings” was a lesson in how media could effect tourism. "The Hobbit" will likely reignite interest in New Zealand's remote wonders after years of natural disasters have scared visitors away.
Smart move from Tourism New Zealand both from a strategic point of view in tapping a huge market, as well for making travel more inclusive. It already has a big halal meat industry supplying to the rest of the world, and this effort makes good use of that.