High-tech treasure hunters from all over the world descended on Perth at the weekend, providing an estimated £300,000 boost for the local economy.
The Geocaching Mega Event attracted enthusiasts from as far afield as Australia, New Zealand, the USA, South Africa and all over Europe.
Locals were also being encouraged to get involved.
Geocaching is an outdoor activity in which the participants use handheld GPS units or other navigational techniques to seek out hidden containers which hold items placed by other geocachers, and then share their experiences online. Provost John Hulbert officially opened the event at the Dewars Centre on Saturday when he was presented with a keyring ‘travel bug’ from Perth’s German twin town Aschaffenburg which had travelled through Europe’s geocaching network.
Dr Hulbert said, “This is the biggest international event to have been held in Perth for several years, with 40 countries represented and 1400 geocachers registered.
“It is certainly putting geocaching on the map in this part of Scotland.”
He added, “It is also putting Scotland and Perth on the map for the huge international geocaching community.
“It is doing so at a very opportune moment, for this year we are celebrating the 800th anniversary of the granting to Perth of a royal charter by King William the Lion of Scotland, in 1210.”