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"Middle-earth effect The impact of Sir Peter Jackson's The Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit Trilogies on tourism in New Zealand cannot be dismissed.  The International Visitor Survey from 2004, completed following the release of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, found that six percent of visitors to New Zealand (around 120,000 - 150,000 people) cited The Lord of the Rings as being one of the main reasons for visiting New Zealand. One per cent of visitors said that the Lord of the Rings was their main or only reason for visiting. This one per cent related to approximately NZ$32.8m in spend. In 2004, 63,200 visitors participated in a Lord of the Rings activity while here and since 2004, an average 47,000 visitors each year have visited a film location. In 2014 research completed by the New Zealand Institue of Economic Research found that the marketing of New Zealand as Middle-earth has had a significant and quantifiable impact on growth in visitor arrivals from Western markets.  International Visitor Arrivals data for year ending August 2014 show holiday arrivals into New Zealand are up 7.2 per cent on last year. Holiday arrivals from the United States, a key target market for the Middle-earth campaign, are up 14.2 per cent on the same period last year. The International Visitor Survey shows that 13 per cent of all international visitors surveyed July 2013 - June 2014, say The Hobbit was a factor in stimulating their interest in New Zealand as a destination. Source: Tourism New Zealand Corporate Website / Statistics New Zealand"

Iceland 'best country for gender equality' Iceland's government is led by a female prime minister, Johanna Sigurdardottir Continue reading the main story Women in the Workplace Job gap 'narrowing for mothers' Gender case hits insurance costs Call for more women on boards Women find glass ceiling 'intact' Iceland remains the country that has the greatest equality between men and women, according to an annual report by the World Economic Forum (WEF). It is the second year in succession that Iceland has topped the foundation's Global Gender Gap Report. Nordic nations dominate the top of the list of 134 countries, with Norway in second place and Finland third. The report measures equity in the areas of politics, education, employment and health. Continue reading the main story Lowest gender gaps in 2010 1 Iceland - no change from 2009 2 Norway - Up from 3rd 3 Finland - Down from 2nd 4 Sweden - No change 5 New Zealand - No change 6 Republic of Ireland - Up from 8th 7 Denmark - No change 8 Lesotho - Up from 10th 9 Philippines - No change 10 Switzerland - Up from 13th 11 Spain - Up from 17th 12 South Africa - Down from 6th 13 Germany - Down from 12th 14 Belgium - Up from 33rd 15 UK - No change Source: World Economic Forum Sweden is in fourth place, with New Zealand fifth. "Nordic countries continue to lead the way in eliminating gender inequality," said Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum. "Low gender gaps are directly correlated with high economic competitiveness. Women and girls must be treated equally if a country is to grow and prosper." The UK came 15th in the latest rankings - no change from 2009. France was one of the biggest fallers, down to 46th place from 18th in 2009. WEF that said was a result of a decline in the number of women holding ministerial positions in the French government. Meanwhile the US has risen to 19th place from 31st in 2009, because of a higher number of women in President Obama'

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