Prince William set to boost Falklands tourism
Wednesday, 23 November 2011 6:17 PM
The Falklands boast impressive scenery
The Falkland Islands are set to experience a tourism boost following the news that Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, will be posted to the destination next year.
He is due to arrive in the Falklands in February and spend six months there as part of a crew of four RAF personnel.
The Falkland Islands Tourist Board revealed that the news of the deployment was followed by an increase of more than 200 per cent in the number of visitors to its consumer website.
Prince William's visit to the destination will coincide with the 30th anniversary of a conflict between Britain and Argentina related to sovereignty over the archipelago.
Paul Trowell, general manager of the Falkland Islands Tourist Board, said: "The royal news has created global publicity for the Falklands and it's really exciting that we are seeing an immediate uplift in interest in the destination, with people heading to our website to find out what there is to see and do here.
"We expect the Duke's visit to boost the profile of the destination and we anticipate a rise in visitor arrivals from the UK off the back of his visit announcement."
Situated 400 miles off the south-eastern tip of South America, the Falklands are known for a wide range of local wildlife including more than 750,000 penguins, seals, sea lions, killer whales and birds.
The destination welcomed some 60,000 visitors from around the world during the season ending April 2011.
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