The branding of a tourist destination has become a precondition for its success on the market. It is crucial for Lika-Senj County to differentiate its tourist offer from the competition. Branding represents a very good way to do it. It is possible to achieve a sustainable competitive position in the global market by proper positioning and selection of the target group, and by defining achievable but challenging marketing goals and designing a marketing strategy. A rich resource basis of the county needs to be valorised and networked in order to create a tourist product that will attract modern tourists through marketing communications. For the differentiation of the county's offer, establishing an umbrella brand, which would include quality products and services from the destination area, is proposed. Lika-Senj County should be positioned as a destination of active eco-tourism developing within the umbrella brand of Croatia as a tourist destination. The Lika-Senj County Tourist Board together with the system of local tourist boards should be responsible for the development and implementation of complementary marketing and branding strategies, with an active role from the local population and the economy, i.e. all service providers in tourism. Due to its theoretical nature, the research is based on the analysis of the relevant literature of recent years. The descriptive method is used for presenting the existing situation at the destination. Comparative analyses as well as the analysis of secondary data related to various existing documents and databases are also conducted. The method of compilation is used for drawing conclusions. The general contribution of this paper relates to the importance of systematic approach and tourism development planning for the success of a tourist destination in the global market and the importance of branding as one of the most significant tools for differentiation in relation to competition. A properly implemented branding process brings multiple economic and functional benefits to the destination.