KuzeyDoga Society received Turkey’s 2009 European Destinations of Excellence tourism award in Brussels, the European Union capital in Belgium. The theme of the 2009 European Destinations of Excellence (EDEN) awards was “protected areas and tourism” and KuzeyDoga applied with the Lake Kuyucuk Wildlife Reserve of Kars. The key feature of the selected destinations is their commitment to social, cultural and environmental sustainability. The recipients of the awards are emerging, little known European destinations located in the 27 Member States and candidate countries. The EDEN project helps to spread the sustainable practices used in the chosen destinations across the Union and to turn these places into all-year-round venues. The process thus aims to help de-congest over-visited tourist destinations.

The Turkish delegation, comprised of Kars deputy governor Turgut Gülen, KuzeyDoga Society president Dr. Çağan Şekercioğlu, Kuyucuk village chief Turan Demir and the tourism expert Başak Ünsal from the Turkish Ministry of Tourism, received Turkey’s award in a ceremony organized by the European Commission. The 2008 EDEN winner of Turkey of was Edirne, famous for its Kirkpinar oil wrestling festival. The deputy mayor of Edirne, Mr. Namık Kemal Doleneken, joined the Kars delegation at the gala dinner and award ceremony.

The 2009 EDEN winners of 22 European countries signed the EDEN declaration at the end of the EDEN Network Meeting on October 7th. Turan Demir, the village chief of Kuyucuk, signed the EDEN declaration for Turkey. Kars and Lake Kuyucuk also had a promotional stand during the EDEN Network meeting on October 7th, the European Tourism Day on October 8th and in European Tourism Fair on October 9th. The Turkish stand was covered with the posters of the Turkish Ministry of Tourism and KuzeyDoga Society. Over 400 people, mostly tourism experts from all over Europe, participated in the fair. KuzeyDoga’s t-shirts, hats, and postcards of Kars birds and plants  were distributed to the visitors of the Kars stand. Kars was featured in the special issue of the European Union magazine “Parliament” prepared for the EDEN award ceremony, in the article “Kars: where nature and history meet”.

The gala dinner and the award ceremony took place on October 8th. The commissioner of the regional policy of the European Commission gave the opening speech and one minute videos of the EDEN winners of 22 European countries were shown. Ms. Ana Margues, the head of the EDEN film crew, visited the Turkish stand on the first day and stated that the local people in the Kuyucuk short movie made it very special. After receiving the EDEN award, the Turkish delegation gave a short speech on the natural, cultural, and historical heritage of Kars. Deputy governor Turgut Gülen invited all EDEN participants to Kars. At the end of the award ceremony, the head of the Irish delegation and Kuyucuk village chief Turan Demir, both farmers, concluded the night with an arm wrestling match.