Moffat is set to be jam packed during the event, from August 5 to 12, with many visitors arriving well before the first day.
And Tuija Tunturi from Finland is encouraging locals to put their spare accommodation – from rooms to caravans – on homestay network Air BnB. This comes after the seasoned gold panner struggled to get accommodation foragroup of 35 people from Finland.
She said: “I am a gold panner and will be taking part in the competition. I started competing in the world championships in 1998.
“I am alsoatour leader for a group of 35 people from Finland. “As we are so many, we are staying in six different B&Bs. Those are Bridge House, Queensberry House, Summerlea House, Limetree House, Claremont and one cottage in Church Street.”
The Finnish group, who have been touring together for years, described the booking experience as ‘challenging’ and now, Tuija has suggested that extra accommodation be put on Air BnB to help house the thousands expected to turn up.
It echoes a plea last year for more accommodation providers to come forward from Moffat Tourist Information Centre (TIC) co-founder Roy Anderton-Tyers.
He said: “This is a huge opportunity to put Moffat on the map, with spectators coming from far and wide to be fed and entertained, so the impact on food-service and accommodation providers will be immense.
“We are fortunate that as well as gold in the hills, we haveafantastic infrastructure to support this important event.”
Roy and his team have developed a special accommodation database, which can be found at at www.moffatgold2017.com
