Travel briefs: Hobbit Holes, more time to party and pricey hotels

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Opportunity knocks for Hobbit fans in New Zealand

Fantasy lovers finally will be able to cross to the other side — figuratively speaking — when a new attraction opens in New Zealand. Beginning this month, fans of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies will be able to go inside an authentic Hobbit Hole interior.

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It’s the latest “enchanting new experience” at the Hobbiton Movie Set in Waikato, located on the country’s North Island. Construction of Bagshot Row, set on the 1,250-acre (505 hectare), Alexander family farm has been underway since March, curated by illustrators and designers who worked on the films. Until now, the 44 Hobbit Holes left behind when filming ended have existed only as facades.

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Hobbiton Movie Set’s chief executive, Russell Alexander, said: “For two decades we’ve welcomed millions of passionate visitors to Hobbiton Movie Set, but never before has anyone ventured beyond the door of a Hobbit Hole like this. The Hobbit Hole features a network of fully themed rooms in warm, “earthy tones” and deep wooden textures aimed at recreating the cosy experience of the films. But guests are advised to mind their heads — the interiors have been built with the stature of Hobbits in mind.

The lush farm country in the Matamata region was first scouted by director Peter Jackson in 1998, who noted its striking similarity to The Shire as described by author JRR Tolkien.

Thailand extends bar hours

Partying vacationers in Thailand have two more hours to indulge their late-night merrymaking. The country’s cabinet approved an extension of opening hours at nightclubs, karaoke bars, clubs, pubs and other entertainment venues as it tries to lure back tourists after the pandemic.

The new rules, which start on Dec. 15, will set 4 a.m. as the closing time. Thailand’s tourism sector — a central part of its economy — has recorded only limp growth compared with its southeast Asian peers, Reuters reported. It’s hoped the extended opening hours — as well as a move to waive visa requirements for Chinese holidayers — will boost foreign arrivals in the region’s second-largest economy.

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Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin told the Bangkok Post: “We intend to spur the economy and tourism domestically. The plan will also help generate more income for businesses in the tourism sector, including restaurants and entertainment venues.”

Hotel prices sky rocket for Paris Olympics

Tourists heading for the Paris Olympics next year face hotel-price increases of as much as 300 per cent. Amid a clampdown on tourist apartment rentals, the Paris tourism office predicted hotel bills would rise by 314 per cent between this summer and next.

Speaking to Reuters, Frederic Hocquard, the city’s deputy mayor for tourism and nightlife, said: “We want popular Games, and it can’t be popular Games at 700 euros a night ($1,040).”

Hotels in the French capital are waiting too long to open their booking platforms for the July 26-Aug. 11 Games, the agency reported. Some 66 per cent of hotels are not available for reservations during the Olympics. The Paris Tourism office said a hotel night in the Paris region averaged 169 euros ($250), in July 2023, but is expected to rocket to 699 euros ($1,040), by July 2024.

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“The rise is 366 per cent for the two-star hotels and 475 per cent for the three-star hotels,” the report said.

Hocquard added: “What is going to happen is that people will take a hotel room for 200 euros ($300) a night in Nantes, Lille or Rennes and commute by train and they will save money this way.” He cautioned hoteliers against following the trend for the London Olympics in 2012 when price-gouging saw hotel occupancy rates drop by 12 per cent.

“You can’t triple the price of the rooms,” Hocquard said. “Maybe you can allow a 10 or 15 per cent increase, but tripling the prices won’t work. “The way it is going, we’re going to feed the Airbnb beast.”

Paris is struggling to enforce laws that allow Paris residents to rent rooms on Airbnb for no more than 120 days a year. It’s estimated about 20,000 homes are being rented illegally throughout the year in the city.

According to Reuters, the French parliament is expected to pass a law that will tax homeowners who rent out their homes as tourist accommodation.

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