Our Costa Rica Roots
Costa Rica Connections is a Costa Rica travel agency with operations partly in the U.S. and partly in Costa Rica. It is owned and operated by John Aspinall whose family first emigrated to Costa Rica in the 1890's. Originally from Canada and Scotland, much of the Aspinall clan still lives in Costa Rica, actively engaged in the tourist industry promoting responsible Costa Rica tourism and Costa Rica ecotourism. John was born and raised in Costa Rica, and then studied at a Canadian university. In 1988 he began Costa Rica Sun Tours, an ecological tourism (Costa Rica ecotourism) company specializing in nature and outdoor "soft" adventure tours as a Costa Rica tour operator. John is the former president of ACOT-the Costa Rica Tour Operators Association. In the year 2000 he received the Ecotourism Excellence Award from Conservation International for his commitment to maintaining high standards in the ecotourism industry. The award took into consideration his support of numerous conservation projects including development programs in a rural Costa Rican community, a sea turtle beach nest protection and community education program, beach cleanups, recycling in his office, selection and training of naturalist guides, and so forth. In 1998 John purchased Costa Rica Connections as a Costa Rica travel agency specialist and moved from Costa Rica to San Luis Obispo, California with his wife and three children. John maintains the philosophy that Costa Rica ecotourism should be educational as well as entertaining for guests, and he extends it to all his companies' operations. This philosophy also recognizes that Costa Rica's spectacular natural heritage is an important economic resource for Costa Rica communities, providing them with strong incentives for protecting their natural resources. By birth, by experience, by philosophy, Costa Rica Connections is much more than a Costa Rica travel agency and specialist: it is a part of the effort to promote preservation of Costa Rica's natural wonders so future generations can take a Costa Rica tour as wonderful as the one you can enjoy today.
l Our Costa Rica Roots l US Staff l Costa Rica Staff l |
