Apart from Gornje Medjimurje as the winner, the finalists of the competition were also the destinations Daruvar-Bjelovar-Garesnica, the Drnis hinterland, the town of Buzet, and the region of Srijem and Slavonia. Those are all destinations participating in the Tourism Ministry's 365 project, designed to prolong the peak tourist season.
Since its launch in 2006 the EDEN competition has been implemented in Croatia by the HTZ in cooperation with the Tourism Ministry and in line with rules set by the European Commission.
Every year the contest focuses on a new topic, this year's topic being tourism and gastronomy.
HTZ Head Office director Ratomir Ivicic said that all five finalists would be presented at the final presentation and competition, to be held in Brussels in the autumn.
Deputy Tourism Minister Daglas Koraca said that in recent years wine making and gastronomy had been attracting a growing number of tourists to Croatia and that it was one of the ten key products of the national tourism development strategy.
Having won the national European Destinations of Excellence title, the region of Gornje Medjimurje will be promoted on the web sites of the European Commission, the European Travel Commission and the HTZ.