Business View Caribbean | July 2022

95 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN VOLUME 9, ISSUE 7 All of the changes and improvements to the region have been planned to bring more attention to the region and attract tourism from outside of the island. It is especially important for Mayaro/Rio Claro to improve its tourism industry, as its current major economic driver is oil and gas. Over the past few years, Cozier says it has become increasingly evident that that industry cannot be relied upon. He notes, “Most of the people in the area worked on the platform, out in the oil companies; the Amoco, the BP, the Shell, all those companies. After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has depleted tremendously so that people cannot depend on oil and gas anymore. The tourism industry has great potential. I want to see the industry develop to where people will be able to earn their living, even when oil and gas is not able to facilitate them anymore.” Cozier believes having a healthy tourism industry will dramatically improve the livelihood of Mayaro/Rio Claro’s citizens, and bring much needed attention to the region. He shares, “I want our community to be active. Parents will be able to feed their family and send them to school without having to sit at home with nothing to do and be frustrated wondering where their next dollar is coming from. I want to see the young men and women in our community have something legal to do and not have to engage in illegal activities just to survive, just to live.” MAYARO/R IO CLARO REGIONAL CORPORAT ION