The theme of this thesis is "Destination excellence - examples of good practice". The aim of this paper is to analyze the theoretical determinants of destination excellence and their implementation in existing tourist destinations, while the accompanying goals are: defining a tourist destination, defining destination management, destination excellence and theoretical overview of the project of European destinations of excellence. The tourist destination, among other things, is a physical space with or without administrative boundaries where visitors can spend the night and which as a system includes attractions, receptive facilities, accessibility, available package arrangements, activities and ancillary services Destination management, as an indispensable part of every tourist destination, has the task of organizing tourism products related to market segments that are targeted on the basis of tourism development strategies, which is precisely where destination management companies and destination management organizations come to the fore. In the context of tourism excellence, it is justified to conclude that a destination must be creative enough to differentiate itself, attract new tourists, retain the loyalty of its traditional customers, and cope with growth while protecting its natural and cultural resources in order to guarantee long-lasting tourist activity. This means protecting, caring for and nourishing your own resources. The EDEN project, as well as certain principles of business excellence, are the mechanisms by which this can be achieved. This paper supports the development of tourism, that is, the development of tourist destinations, but in a sustainable way, because various examples have shown that it is possible to reach the point where these destinations can be considered excellent.