William Howard Taft, the only man ever to serve as both President and Chief Justice of the United States, once said of Bermuda that never before in history had such a small location played such a disproportionately large role on the world stage.

He may have overstated the case. But not by much.

For the fact is Bermuda’s geography proved to be its unlikely destiny. A natural mid-Atlantic landmark sitting at the junction of the great sea routes between Europe, North America and the Caribbean, from the first days of its settlement the Island absorbed outside influences — and influenced outside developments — in a way which is almost unparalleled.

As Taft emphasised, tiny Bermuda has never simply played a passive role in Atlantic affairs. Throughout its long history Bermuda has been an active participant in other countries’ struggles, conflicts and triumphs, not just a bystander. Examples are legion. During the 1610 “Starving Time” in Virginia — when Jamestown’s settlers had been reduced to eating dogs, cats and even, new archeological evidence confirms, one another — it was provisions from Bermuda which allowed the English to maintain their then precarious fingerhold on the North American continent. In the Revolutionary War ordnance smuggled from Bermuda a result of the infamous 1775 “Gunpowder Plot” was used by American defenders at Fort Moultrie to prevent strategic Charleston from falling to the Royal Navy. And operations mounted from Bermuda in the 20th century helped the Allies win the Battle of the Atlantic during the Second World War and the Americans to win the race to the Moon against the Soviet Union.

When he paid a flying visit to the Island in 1942, British wartime leader Winston Churchill told the House of Assembly that Bermuda had long constituted “a vital pillar in the bridge” connecting the Old and New Worlds. He was correct. And just as Bermuda has helped to shape momentous events on both sides of the Atlantic, so the Bermudian character and cultural environment have in turn been shaped by a constant through-flow of outside people, influences and circumstances.

It’s certainly not coincidental that Bermuda’s Gombey tradition, the Island’s oldest continuing folk art, reflects the four earliest elements of our cultural heritage: African and Caribbean masks and dances, Native American headdresses and weapons and the cadence of English martial music, all blended into a uniquely Bermudian whole.

This added Bermudian flourish is what makes our culture far more than the sum of component parts which, in many instances, originated elsewhere. Everything from 18th century colonial architecture to calypso music to codfish cakes has received a Bermudian make over since being introduced here, adapting and thriving in its new surroundings.

Consequently the people, built environment and traditions of Bermuda tend to be simultaneously familiar and exotic to every first-time visitor. When combined with our exceptional natural amenities, what the Bermuda Tourism Authority recently called the “unique cultural experience” offered by the Island has always been its chief appeal as an upscale resort destination.

The Tourism Authority now in the process of finalising a campaign intended to resurrect Bermuda’s hospitality industry. It will be one predicated on marketing the Island to niche markets willing to pay a premium for quality and a special sense of place: the packaging and promotion of Bermuda’s culture will be the chief focus of these efforts.

This will mark a welcome return to fundamentals. For years the marketing of Bermuda as a tourism destination has been plagued by one self-inflicted identity crisis after another. Various advertising agencies have cheerfully pocketed the Island’s overseas promotional budget and then attempted to sell Bermuda as everything except what it is. The general market remained completely unswayed by a never-ending series of generic sun, surf and sand promotions; the specific markets these campaigns should have been tailored to were left bewildered.

As Tourism Authority CEO Bill Hanbury has said Bermuda has all of the right elements in place to resuscitate tourism as a viable industry, albeit on a much smaller scale than was the case during its 1960s/70s zenith. But we do not need mass numbers to realise a high yield. Those pursuing specialist interests such as golf, sailing and diving tend to make for a better-heeled clientele than the average vacationer; and the market segment for what’s broadly termed cultural tourism — which incorporates everything from historical sites to the ecosystem to the general ambience of a community — is also a wealthy, sophisticated one.

If, as Mr. Hanbury said, we can do a better job “connecting the dots” for potential visitors both in terms of marketing and upgrading some aspects of our infrastructure and services, there is no reason why the Island which pioneered modern resort tourism cannot once again position itself as a world apart — another world.