GALLERY: Harry and Meghan love Gympie - we have proof

NEWS of the upcoming Royal visit to Fraser Island has locals all over Gympie bursting with anticipation, and the happy couple themselves.

The royals seem impressed by our stellar Mary St events. Picture: Leeroy Todd

NEWS of the upcoming Royal visit to Fraser Island has locals all over Gympie bursting with anticipation, including a host of the community's leading names.

Destination Gympie Region CEO Andrew Saunders said the couple's stop-off at Fraser on Monday October 22 would bring "great exposure" to the Gympie region.

"The Gympie region is the southern gateway to Fraser Island (K'gari) and this extra exposure in the UK, which is a key international source market, is very welcome from the tourism industry," Mr Saunders said.

Harry and Meghan visit the Gympie region

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"We will be working with contacts in the UK market to ensure that people understand the close geographical ties and the southern pathway to Fraser."

Member for Gympie Tony Perrett said the visit was an "exciting opportunity for our region to showcase the first class natural attractions".

"Together with the coloured sands and the Great Sandy Straits our region's natural attractions would be on show not just for the Royals but also for a global audience that watches what they do and where they go," Mr Perrett said.

"The recognition and publicity cannot be underestimated as a visit will promote international media footage as well as reach their social media followers.

"We know this can be a boon to capitalise on because whenever international visitors have popped in they are blown away by our region's wonders."

Mr Perrett said the Royal arrival presented "potential to further benefit our local economy", pointing to "47,000 international visitors out of approximately 1,146,000 who come here annually".

"Last year Australia experienced a 15 per cent growth in nature based holidays, and what better way to put a big arrow pointing this way to a premier destination for international tourists," he said.

Originally published as GALLERY: Harry and Meghan love Gympie - we have proof