Hi there & welcome to THS!
I see you have tried to link your listing to your bio, but this is the wrong link. Here’s how to link your listing: How to add a listing or profile link to your FORUM profile
As @DianeG mentioned, the suggestion of a local person is for a sitter, not an owner, so that a new sitter can build up their reviews (if they want or feel it’s necessary) before they head abroad or elsewhere for sits. It doesn’t matter what sitter you choose in terms of where they are currently located unless you specifically want somebody from closer to home if that’s what you feel more comfortable with. It would actually be harder to find someone local though, as this site is intended for travellers, not local pet-sitters, and not many sitters want to sit in their own area.
You can check out this blog to make sure your listing is as attractive as possible 
Applicants are the best way to secure a sitter, rather than sending invites (you’re welcome to try with invites but they often have a low success rate). Hope that helps!