JASON DORDAY/Stuff
Besides the tour guides, guests are greeted by animatronic Jeff, who is head of security and health and safety. The team was “over the moon”, particularly because the experience was launched amid the Covid-19 pandemic. “It may seem a bit racy in the middle of a pandemic, but we were real confident Kiwis would love it and love the experience just as much as international visitors.” It is a move marketing experts have described as “gutsy”.
Weta Workshop/Supplied
Weta Workshop s head of tourism, Jake Downing. Dr Bodo Lang, a senior lecturer in marketing at the University of Auckland, said he was not surprised the attraction had drawn such large numbers, given people were “starved of experiences that are novel”.