How important is Fraser Island to Gympie tourism?

Fraser Island is googled 41 000 times a month by would-be visitors.

Oma and dingoes, nothing stops tourists visiting Fraser Island like these visitors cruising down Eli Creek on the weekend. Picture: Alistair Brightman

FRASER Island is googled 41 000 times a month from would-be visitors.

And as the southern gateway to the world's largest sand island, the Gympie region certainly gets their piece of the tourism cake from the highly sought-after destination.

"Fraser Island (K'gari) is very important to the region,” Destination Gympie Region tourism developer manager Andrew Saunders said.

FRASER ISLAND:Paramedic tells of shocking dingo attack

Sherylea Jones took this lovely photo of a dingo on Fraser Island.Photo: Sherylea Jones. Picture: Sherylea Jones

While the number of travellers to the island that pass through and spend time and dollars in the Gympie region is hard to pinpoint, its link was significant with domestic and international tourists he said.

Last week, the spotlight was on the island for the wrong reasons when a 10-year-old boy, a French tourist, was seriously injured when a pack of dingoes chased and attacked him and his mother on a beach.

It came days after the eastern side of the island took a strong beating from the gale force winds and high swells of Cyclone Oma.

RISING FROM STORM:Island business looks to future

But the event had not resulted in any immediate down turn in tourism to the island, Mr Saunders said, that was now entering its low season.

The island was ever-increasing in popularity, Mr Saunders said, and with that the Cooloola Coast.

Fraser Island - cruising down Eli Creek. Picture: Alistair Brightman

"It's more accessible - more people have a 4WD and more people are coming to Rainbow Beach and wanting to include the Fraser experience,” he said.

As part of an international partnership, the Cooloola Coast is branded Australia's Nature Coast together with the Sunshine and Fraser Coasts.

The brand aims to tap into international markets, particularly within continental Europe and the United Kingdom, Mr Saunders said.

He said travellers from Germany, the United Kingdom and Nordic countries were drawn to the island's "off the beaten track” appeal.

Fraser Island - the Maheno wreck on the Eastern Beach. Picture: Alistair Brightman

High yield tourists, who tend to be bigger spenders, were now making up more of the tourism market in the region than previously, he said.

These high network travellers tended to have a double income with no kids or whose kids have left home were following the trend backpackers set in discovering destinations like Fraser Island (K'gari), he said.

"With all the great tourists destinations - the back packers found them first and the wealthy next.”