‘Perth Day’ is part of 800th celebrations

Jun 12 2009 by Les Stewart, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

THE COUNTDOWN to next year’s celebrations marking the 800th anniversary of Perth officially began yesterday with the announcement of more than 100 events that could catapult the Fair City onto the international stage.

Starting on January 1 next year, Perth 800 aims to enhance the global profile of both Perth and the region as a whole – whilst simultaneously paying homage to the city’s granting of the Burgh Charter by King William the Lion of Scotland in 1210.

The various organisers, including Perth and Kinross Council, hope the raft of activities planned will boost tourism revenue to £83million by the end of 2010, encourage civic pride and formalise a drive towards official city status.

One of the highlights is set to be a 24-hour celebration dubbed “Perth Day” in July.

Describing its potential impact, Provost John Hulbert said: “This is for everyone in Perth and Kinross and will be a wonderful showcase for our local businesses, community groups, arts, culture and sporting organisations.

“This is an important and historic anniversary for people here and throughout Scotland. We want to welcome visitors from home and overseas, especially our twin towns around the world.

“The programme for 2010 is shaping up well with a wide variety of exciting events and activities, all celebrating our confidence and ambition for Perth and Kinross,” he said.

Speaking at the launch event, held in Perth Concert Hall yesterday, Peter Lederer, chairman of VisitScotland and managing director of Gleneagles Hotel, said: “Tourism growth is critical to the future of Scotland and during this current climate it is crucial we work together to get the industry back on track.

“Perth 800 presents a fantastic opportunity to sell Perthshire to the world, attract more visitors and generate more income for the local economy.

“The themes are very encouraging and mean VisitScotland are on track in presenting Perth as a ‘must visit’ and ‘must return’ destination through 2010 and beyond,” he said.

Joining the chorus of praise, North Tayside MSP John Swinney said: “I believe that this will not only be great for the city of Perth but it will also have positive knock-on effect for the rest of the region.

“The programme looks very exciting and ambitious. I believe that it will be a great success and, as a local resident, I look forward to taking part in the celebrations,” he added.

One of the more unusual events will see Perth host the first Geocaching Mega-event.

Around 100 participants will contest what Provost Hulbert described as a “high-tech treasure hunt,” searching for hidden targets across the Big County using the latest global-positioning satellite technology.