Speaking at the Bahamas Empowerment Conference at Baha Mar on Wednesday, Cooper said faith-based travel is becoming an increasingly important segment of the tourism industry, creating new opportunities to diversify the country’s tourism product while bringing visitors to multiple islands across the archipelago.
“Faith has always been woven into the fabric of Bahamian life,” Cooper said. “Our churches have long been centers of community, guidance, compassion, and leadership — places of worship, but also pillars of community life, education, and national identity.”
Global travel patterns show millions of people journeying each year for religious conventions, conferences, missions and spiritual retreats — a market that Cooper said is expected to grow significantly in the coming decade.
“Faith-based tourism is emerging as one of the fastest growing segments of global travel,” he said.
Cooper noted that the country welcomed 12.5 million visitors in 2025, generating an estimated $6 billion in annual visitor spending as tourism continues to drive the Bahamian economy.
He said the government is now working to position the country as a leading faith-based destination in the Caribbean, pointing to the relaunch of the Ministry of Tourism’s Religious Tourism Unit and the rollout of the country’s first comprehensive Religious Tourism Strategic Plan under the leadership of Dr Kenneth Romer.
“By developing faith tourism, we can diversify our tourism product, attract new visitors from major faith markets in the United States and beyond, and deepen the cultural experiences that visitors have when they come to our islands,” Cooper said.
The Deputy Prime Minister said conferences such as the Bahamas Empowerment Conference demonstrate the economic impact of religious gatherings, as delegates travel with families, extend their stays, and explore multiple islands.
“When visitors come for a purpose like a convention, they bring their spouses, they return with their children and visit one or more of our other 16-island destinations,” he said.
