Tourism New Zealand chief executive George Hickton said the media exposure resulting from the film's release was "even better than we could have hoped for".
"New Zealand is not only getting an enormous amount of international media coverage, but that coverage is of a very high calibre and in the media which are reaching New Zealand's target market."
Hobbit fans who decided they wanted to see where the film was shot were unlikely to book and take New Zealand holidays before next summer.
But early signs are that the film's popularity will translate into additional tourist arrivals.
Newmans South Pacific Vacations - one of the top five New Zealand and Australian tour operators in the US - has seen the popularity of its website soar since it began offering "Journeys to Middle Earth" packages in December.
Lord of the Rings packages have become the third most popular page on the company's website.
The number of hits on the site almost doubled last December, from 150,000 in November to 271,000 in December.
Newmans has so far had 60 reservations and 20 paid-up bookings for the 10 to 14-day tours, which cost from $US1199 to $US2099 ($2859 to $5005) and take in locations such as Matamata (location for Bilbo Baggins' home of Hobbiton), Tongariro National Park (the Slopes of Mt Doom) and Queenstown (the Summit of Amon Hen).
Last month UK tour operators said they had been inundated with inquiries about New Zealand holidays since the release of The Fellowship of the Ring.
London tour firm New Zealand Affair, which organises £2000 ($6785) packages for Tolkien fans, said inquiries had risen about 20 per cent since the film's release.
"It's a case of 'read the book, seen the movie, now get the holiday'," spokesman Tim Stubbing said.
New Zealand's cheap exchange rate was also boosting its attractiveness as a holiday destination.
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