The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas' religious tourism market will get a major boost this week with more than 2,000 members of the Progressive National Baptist Convention (PNBC) arriving in Nassau for their mid-winter board meeting.

Travis Robinson, parliamentary secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, said: "Our tourism infrastructure has the capacity to accommodate a wide range of meetings, from small, intimate ministerial seminars and board meetings to large-scale international conventions, with delegates numbering in the thousands.

"Our offerings of diverse room accommodations and ultra-modern meeting spaces attract scores of events to our destination each year, both secular and religious. At the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, we boast of being one of the only tourist boards in the world with a department dedicated to religious tourism."

The PNBC has a membership of over 20 million people worldwide. This week's meeting has also attracted civil rights icon, Jesse Jackson Sr, a founding member of the PNBC. "It is not just the land of sunshine. It is a stable government and a progressive government. When Pindling became Prime Minister of the Bahamas, it was an inspiration to people around the whole world," said Reverend Jackson.

Reverend Dr James Perkins, the PNBC's president, said he and many members were happy to get away from the snow.

"During the time that we have our mid-winter Board meeting is to go somewhere where the weather is more pleasant. I came from Detroit and left about four inches of snow on the ground. Travelling in that atmosphere is difficult," he said.

"So when we come here, we come for rest, relaxation and we can clear our minds and focus on those important issues that we have to address.

"Our people do not come broke. They come here to shop, eat and enjoy whatever it is the Bahamas has to offer.

"The benefit to the Bahamas is that they will reap that economic benefit. We hope to inspire Bahamians so that they know what freedom ought to be."