EDEN

European Destinations of ExcelleNce

The EDEN project• In 2006 the European Commission launched its initiative „European

Destinations of Excellence” as a means of initiating a European Union action in support of European Tourism

• The broad of the initiative is to draw attention to the value, diversity and shared characteristics of European tourist destinations and to promote them

• More than 20 European countries participate in the project

• The Hungarian winners: 2007. Őrség (Best emerging rural destination), 2008. Hortobágy (Tourism and local intangible heritage), 2009. Írottkő Nature Park (Tourism and protected areas), 2010. Tisza-tó (Aquatic tourism), 2011. Mecsek (Regeneration of physical sites), 2013. Kaposvár and Zselic area (Accessible tourism)

- enhance visibility of the emerging European tourist destinatons of Excellence, especially the lesser known

- create awareness of Europe’s tourist diversity and quality- promote all European countries and regions- help decongestion, combat seasonality, rebalance the tourist flows

towards the non-traditional destinations- award sustainable forms of tourism- create a platform for the exchange of „best practices” at European

level- promote networking between awarded destinations which could

persuade other destinations to adopt sustainable tourism development models

The specific aims of the EDEN initiative are to:

2013 Accessible Tourism

• Theme• Goals• Who can apply ?

• The project is carried out in Hungary by the Hungarian Tourism Plc. from the beginning

• Selection of the winner happens through tendering process

• The method of the selection process was set out by the Hungarian Tourism Plc.and approved by the European Commission

• The project is financed by the Hungarian Tourism Plc., and the European Commission

Background

And why it is worth applying…

• For the winner: - The title „European Destination of Excellence”

- Grant in the value of 2.000.000 HUF- Participatation on the European Tourism Forum in Brussels- Short film on the destination shot by the European Commission- Participation in the european network of the EDEN destinations - Appearance on the websites http://eden.itthon.hu and

www.ec.europa.eu/eden európai turisztikai honlapon• For the four runners-up: - Presentation on the destination on the closing ceremony

to the professional audience - Grant in the value of 500.000 HUF

- Appearance on the website http://eden.itthon.hu - Certificate of merit

EDEN 2012/13

• Topic: Accessible tourism

• The Hungarian Tourims Plc. runs the project for the seventh time

• The new European Destination of Excellence was selected in May 2013:

Kaposvár and the Zselic area

• Information: eden.itthon.hu

Thanks for your attention!