A SYDNEY-based film crew arrived in the Whitsundays this week to start work on a half-hour documentary that will be distributed to an estimated 60 countries with a potential reach of 400 to 500 million households.

RJ Media has been contracted by Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ) to shoot an international television special focusing on sailing in the Whitsundays and in particular the 25th anniversary of Airlie Beach Race Week.

Executive producer Richard Scotts said the production crew were here not only to get the sailing shots, "but also shots of Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays in general and all of the action on and off the water this week".

"It's very much a tourism driven format - like a Getaway style [program] but tailored to this region and for an international market," he said.

Following a brief from TEQ and in conjunction with the Whitsunday Sailing Club, Mr Scotts and his crew are filming three days of racing from the second half of Airlie Beach Race Week as well as a day at Whitehaven Beach and a day aboard local maxi yacht Condor.

"We'll also be shooting in and around Airlie Beach at the functions and bars, so it's as much about the social component of Airlie Beach," Mr Scotts said.

Sailors and race officials alike will be interviewed for the documentary, which will be presented by well-known television host Adam Digby.

"We want to focus on what makes the Whitsundays such a special place to sail and also how successful this regatta has been to last for 25 years," Mr Scotts said.

CEO of Whitsundays Marketing and Development Limited (WMDL), Danial Rochford, congratulated the Queensland Government on the initiative.

"This will be an enormous opportunity to promote Airlie Beach to the world," he said.

The documentary is expected to be released before the end of the year and will air domestically on Channel 7.