The Times newspaper in London has sung Bermuda’s praises in a 20-page supplement devoted to the island.

Published on Thursday, the section offers a comprehensive look at the past, present and future of a “tiny nation” with a “big role on (the) global stage”.

“Everyone, from the country’s leaders, politicians, business and tourist chiefs down to fishermen and road sweepers, believes it is time for the world to sit up and take notice of Bermuda,” writes Tony Dawe. Despite suggesting that it is “often forgotten” and muddled together with its Caribbean neighbours, Mr Dawe commends the island’s economic muscle due to its insurance and reinsurance sectors.

He also argues that the America’s Cup next year will help place Bermuda back in the international spotlight, after conceding that it has not kept pace with “more proactive holiday hotspots”.

In a separate article, he expands on the island’s attempts to modernise its tourism product — moving it definitively away from the “newly wed and nearly dead” markets.

This includes everything from hotel renovations to restaurant weeks championing local cuisine to promoting Bermuda as a getaway training location for sports teams. Mr Dawe quotes Bill Hanbury, Bermuda Tourism Authority chief executive, who says: “We are no longer in a downward spiral; we are beginning to move the tourist numbers in the right direction.”

Elsewhere, the supplement delves into subjects such as Bermuda’s history, food and drink hotspots, telecoms and the local job market. In an article entitled “Land of poetry, prose and pink sands”, Robin McKelvie paints Bermuda as a popular celebrity haunt with fans including Rod Stewart, Alicia Keys, Samuel L. Jackson and John Travolta.

“Author Mark Twain, a plethora of US presidents and a volley of British royals have all fallen under the archipelago’s subtropical spell,” he writes.

Referring to Hamilton as “an engaging, bijou capital”, Mr McKelvie nods to St George’s Unesco World Heritage status, waxes lyrical about the island’s beaches and namechecks Jonny Barnes.

In a piece on the America’s Cup by Ron Lewis, British sailing great Sir Ben Ainslie speaks highly of Bermuda.

“I’ve been there many times over the years and they are always very welcoming,” he says. “It’s a fun place. Sailing is a big part of life ... we’re in for a really terrific contest.”

•To read the supplement online, visit www.thetimes.co.uk/static/bermuda