Posted on 01/21/2003 10:05:22 AM PST by HumanaeVitae
Overseas tourists are trying to book trips to Middle Earth without realising the destination is fictional, a holiday website has found.
Places featured in the Lord of the Rings book trilogy and two films directed by New Zealand's Peter Jackson, such as Mordor and Rivendell, have become popular holiday search terms on internet search site Yahoo Travel, staff at the site say.
Mordor is the stronghold of the forces of darkness and Rivendell is the elves' picturesque refuge in a deep valley near the Misty Mountains.
Yahoo.co.uk travel producer Morgan Williams said it was interesting to see the effect certain films could have on people's imagination.
"Personally I'd never want to go to Mordor. The film's real location, New Zealand, on the other hand, is a truly magical place," Williams said.
The latest Rings film, The Two Towers, has also sparked considerable interest in visiting real places in New Zealand.
Lonely Planet - the world's biggest publisher of independent travel guides - recently named New Zealand the hottest destination of 2003.
The publisher's travel editor Don George said the main reason was New Zealand's "breathtaking cinematic appearance" in the Lord of the Rings films.
On the North Island, the Mordor scenes were filmed in Tongariro National Park and Rivendell was set in Kaitoke Regional Park near Upper Hutt.
The Southern Alps on the South Island doubled for the Misty Mountains, according to The Lord of the Rings Location Guidebook.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.