Press Release: 22 High quality European tourist destinations receive the European Destinations of Excellence 2009 awards

Representatives of 22 European tourist towns and regions from as many countries received the 2009 European Destination of Excellence (EDEN) awards. For this year's awards 20 EU Member States and Turkey and Croatia put several hundred candidates forward to compete for being the best destination under the theme of 'tourism and protected areas'. The awards were handed out on 8 October 2009 by European Commissioner Pawel Samecki, responsible for regional policy, on the occasion of the European Tourism Day and the European Tourism Forum in Brussels.

European Commission: MEMO/09/440: The twenty-two European Destinations of Excellence (EDEN) in tourism and the protected areas http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/09/440&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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