Travellers with an interest in niche activities such as golf, cycling and hiking will be the focus of the latest phase of Tourism New Zealand's 100% Middle-earth, 100% Pure New Zealand campaign.
The tourism body unveiled the new push in Germany today, with a new 60 second commercial now available at newzealand.com.
It aims to promote golf, cycling, hiking and premium holiday product to travellers who pick their holiday destination based on the availability of activities that match their special interests.
The approach is expected to resonate particulary strongly with the Australian market, although it will not be rolled out locally until December in order to coincide with the launch of the second Hobbit movie.
“Special interest travellers tend to spend more and stay longer than travellers seeking a more general leisure experience,” TNZ chief executive Kevin Bowler said.
Over the last five years, 318,000 international tourists took part in a cycling activity, and spent almost $4000 per trip as compared with the $2500 spent by other visitors.
The breadth of suitable product available in the destination also makes it an appropriate way to drive tourism numbers, according to Bowler.
"We will also continue to promote New Zealand as a destination where visitors can indulge in their desire for food or wine, or luxury experiences will on holiday," he added.
Meanwhile the destination revealed its latest arrivals figures which showed arrivals rose 5.9% in July month on month and 0.5% year on year.
Australian numbers rose 6.6% for the month, driven largely by an influx of skiers heading for NZ's slopes, while numbers for the year rose 1.1%.
The International Visitor Survey for January to June revealed that 8.5% of international arrivals cited the Hobbit movie as a factor in their decision to visit the destination.
