The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is surely one of 2012's most anticipated movies, and it's safe to say that the title will also be one of the biggest home video releases of 2013. Tourism New Zealand head Kevin Fowler let it slip during a conference in Queensland yesterday that the Blu-ray and DVD set will debut in mid-2013.

One of the special features included on this home video title will be a New Zealand tourism featurette, directed by Peter Jackson. Here's what Kevin Fowler had to say about making the international community know this Middle Earth adventure was shot in New Zealand.

"Internationally, we really want people to make the connection the The Hobbit films were filmed here in New Zealand. Our research has found that there is a very high level of awareness to that fact, which is much broader than in what might be called... the geeky community."

In 2004, one year after The Lord of The Rings: The Return of The King was released, surveys showed that 6 percent of all New Zealand tourists had made the trip because of The Lord of The Rings movies. Kevin Fowler hopes to match this numbers for next year, after The Hobbit is released.

"If that was to happen next year, we'd have 150,000 people floating around the country because of the first Hobbit film, which is great."

We don't have a concrete release date for The Hobbit's Blu-ray and DVD as of yet.