The aim of this paper is to compare five tourism destinations: Slovenia and its four neighbouring countries (Italy, Austria, Hungary and Croatia). The travel and tourism industry is growing throughout the world and is a vital component of many countries% economies. However, each country%s government tourism strategies and organisations of its tourism industry are distinct. This paper presents some statistics for these destinations and analyses the role of tourism in the countries% economy. It also presents the preliminary results of broader research in the area of innovativeness in tourism. Contrasts and similarities at the national level are highlighted