What is TICOS?

The Tourism Industry Carbon Offset Service (TICOS) is an industry wide programme to stimulate collective action by all operators and travel businesses selling holidays and associated services, which include air or other forms of travel. TICOS uses offset funds to develop projects that both reduce carbon emissions and have wider socio-economic and environmental benefits. See www.ticos.co.uk for further information.

Our project

The lower Danube region is recognised as a place of global ecological importance. It holds the largest complex of wetlands, riverine forests and steppes in Central Europe. There are over 1,000 species of flowers and more than 200 birds including pelicans, herons and eagles.

Our chosen project will replace the existing inefficient, noisy and polluting two-stroke boat engines currently used for tours in the Danube delta with new 15 hp four-stroke engines.

In addition to offsetting CO2, this project will improve the water quality of the Danube as pollution from oil released by two-stroke motors will be reduced and there will be less disturbance to wildlife. The boats will be more reliable with increased visitor enjoyment by greatly reduced (or nil) noise levels.

How to help

All passengers booking a holiday with On The Piste will be given the option of off-setting the carbon produced for their holiday by making a donation of £1.

Each passenger is simply given the option of making this payment on our online booking system.