Geocaching as a route to fresh learning and exploration experiences: a systematic literature review

This study conducts a systematic literature review to examine geocaching as a form of technology-mediated experiential communication, analysing how location-based gamified practices shape consumer engagement, behavioural decisions and place-related meaning-making, with implications for destination marketing, digital engagement and communication strategies. Following the SPAR-4-SLR protocol and applying the Antecedents–Decisions–Outcomes (ADO) framework as both a structuring and analytical lens, the review synthesises 30 studies published between 2010 and 2025 to clarify the mechanisms linking motivations, technological affordances and engagement decisions to communication-related outcomes. The findings reveal three interconnected thematic clusters. First, location-based technologies function as experiential communication devices that reconfigure place exploration, spatial consumption and destination perception. Second, mobile and augmented reality applications operate as engagement infrastructures, fostering active participation, co-creation and narrative interaction with place. Third, digital participation in tourism demonstrates how gamified, location-based services enhance visibility, stimulate user-generated content and promote sustained digital involvement. Collectively, the results show that geocaching extends existing research on gamification and location-based services by evidencing how engagement unfolds through spatially embedded communication processes. Despite these contributions, evidence regarding long-term environmental impacts, sustained learning outcomes and cross-national differences remains limited, highlighting the need for longitudinal and multi-level research designs. From a practical perspective, geocaching presents opportunities for destination diversification, educational enrichment and community-level value creation through technology-supported outdoor experiences. The originality of this review lies in reframing geocaching as a strategic form of experiential and place-based communication, with the ADO-based synthesis elucidating how digital engagement mechanisms connect individual motivations to behavioural, spatial and communicational outcomes, thereby advancing debates in gamification, destination marketing and location-based digital engagement.Acknowledgements: NECE and this work are supported by FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, I.P. by project reference 2023.02318.BD, UID/04630/2025 and DOI identifier 10.54499/UID/04630/2025DOI: https://doi.org/10.54663/2182-9306.2026.SpecialIssueCMTH.272-299