Mellieħa wins this year's EDEN award

Mellieħa, won this year's award due to the sustainable initiatives undertaken by the locality, in particular the community of Manikata. This year's theme was "Tourism and Protected Areas" to further increase awareness and promote sustainable tourism in rural areas. This is the first time a locality in Malta has been given the award, with Nadur and the hamlet of Santa Luċija in Gozo receiving the 2007 and 2008 awards.

Mellieħa local council, recognised for the valuable work in protecting the environment and in rehabilitating the historical and archaeological sites.

© Clive Vella

European Destinations of Excellence (EDEN), is a project promoting sustainable tourism development models across the European Union. The project is based on national competitions that take place every year and result in the selection of a tourist "destination of excellence" for each participating country. Through the selection of destinations, EDEN effectively achieves the objective of drawing attention to the values, diversity and common features of European tourist destinations. It enhances the visibility of emerging European destinations, creates a platform for sharing good practices across Europe and promotes networking between awarded destinations.

Further information about this European Commission initiative can be found the project's web site.