EDEN European Destinations of Excellence

EDEN is a pilot project run by the European Union to promote the variety and diversity of European tourist destinations, especially where the growth is pursued in a way that will ensure the social, cultural and environmental sustainability of tourism.

For the year 2006 the theme was "Best emerging destinations", the winners being:

• Pielachtal in Austria, offering culture, nature, way of life, handicrafts and specialty foods
• Durby in Belgium, dating from the Middle Ages
• Sveti Martin na Muri in Croatia where the local heritage has been preserved
• Troodos in Cyprus, which has nine Byzantine churches included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites
• Florina in Greece, a mountain town in the north
• Orség in Hungary, the only region in Hungary where residents have continuously been living in the same place
• Clonakilty in Ireland, a seaside town
• Specchia in Italy, where the centre is considered to be one of the most beautiful in Salento
• Kuldiga in Latvia, a well preserved town with a traditional atmosphere
• Nadur in Malta, considered to be Gozo's second town, it also includes a coastal area.

The theme for next year will be "tourism and local intangible heritage".