Bermuda: Physically small but globally significant (essay contest part 2)

WEDNESDAY, MAR. 7: Business Bermuda ran an essay contest among secondary school students on the topic ‘Bermuda: Physically small, but globally significant. The top five essay winners were given a breakfast with former CIA director James Woolsey on the morning of the Business Bermuda AGM. The top two winners’s essays, by Ashley Bento and  Ryan Robinson ran in last Friday’s Bermuda Sun and can be viewed HERE.

‘Bermuda is a great asset to the world’

By Jaret Simmons
CedarBridge Academy, third place

Dear Mr. Woolsey:

I always remember my petite mother saying to me, “Even though I am small, I am powerful”. The moral of the story is that no matter how small an opinion or figure, a large impact can be made.

Following with this saying, I believe that even though Bermuda is small, we are a great asset to the world.

Bermuda is able to provide the valuable resource of insurance, as well as be a sought after vacation spot to many tourists globally.

Also, many people forget about how Bermuda played an important role in getting from the Caribbean to the New World in the 1700s and 1800s.

Firstly, Bermuda has been a very popular tourist destination for the past 100 years.

Many visitors from all over the world embark on a journey to Bermuda. In fact, many of the tourists I have encountered believe that Bermuda is a lovely place to visit and relax to get away from all their hectic lifestyles back home.

In a study I had conducted in middle school for a social studies class, we discovered that over 85 per cent of tourist that visit Bermuda are more than satisfied with the service and they had an overall excellent trip. In a nutshell, Bermuda has proved to be an asset in the world tourism industry.

The most forgotten significance of Bermuda was that it was the middle passage for trade between the Caribbean and the East Coast of the United States.

Valuable

During the 1700-1800s, many fleets of cargo ships carrying valuable merchandise crossed through Bermuda en route to the New World. Bermuda was a spot where sails were repaired, food was restocked, and it was a pit stop for the crew to rest and gain energy to sail the remainder of the journey.

All of the ships that passed through were British, and at that time, England colonized the Caribbean, including the Bermuda, and the New World, now called the United States of America and Canada.

So in essence, Bermuda was the most significant part of the trade route between the Caribbean and the United States.

Most importantly, Bermuda is well known for the many international insurance companies that permanently reside in Bermuda. These companies insure and reinsure many important businesses that are located all over the globe.

Without these Bermuda based businesses, the world would not be able to run as smooth and efficiently. For example, the recent flood in Thailand caused massive amounts of damage to buildings and roads. Many of the reinsurance companies from Bermuda had policies that covered the excess damage. Without Bermuda in the equation, Thailand would not have the resources needed to get back on its feet.

In essence, although Bermuda is physically small, we have proven that we can make a difference.

We have a huge influence in the world tourism industry, the world insurance and reinsurance market, and stepping back into history, the trade route between the Caribbean and New World.

I believe that that without Bermuda, the world would not be the same.

Bermuda is one of the top vacation spots

By Jade Morris
Berkeley Institute, special mention

Although small in size, Bermuda is an island of 22 square miles, yet the 3rd richest country and one of the most known spots for tourist attraction.  But the history of this island doesn’t stop there; it ranges from historical myths like the Bermuda triangle to cultural events such as the importance of its very discovery.

Bermuda was discovered by the British in 1609 by Sir George Somers on his boat the Sea Venture. 

Sir George Somers was supposed to be delivering supplies to the British first successful colony in the new found Americas, Jamestown.  On his venture towards the Americas the Sea venture found itself caught in a storm and was eventually shipwrecked on the coast of Bermuda. 

If the tiny island wasn’t where it was those travelling to take supplies to the Americas would have died which eventually would have caused the death of the settlers in Jamestown and the first successful colony for the British wouldn’t have existed. After that Bermuda was used as a port for the British to stop and rest when they were travelling to and from England. Bermuda was significant when it came to the settlement of the Americas.

Shelter

During the World Wars Bermuda was used asa port.  Weapons, forts and bases were stationed in Bermuda.  Why? Because we’re in the middle of the Atlantic. With us stationed in such a central place it is easy for both sides to station their weapons and bases and easily access it closer to where their enemy territory is.

Bermuda is not only a place used to shelter soldiers from World Wars, its much more than that.  Presently this little island is one of the top vacation spots in world. With is alluring pink sand, enchanting flora and fauna and welcoming people, it’s an ideal place to go.  As tourists come to Bermuda they are enchanted by the sites that they see and the vast majority comes to this little island again and again. 

Bermuda doesn’t just attract individuals but businesses also set up in Bermuda to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and its confusion and chaos.  Setting up your business in Bermuda gives you a chance to do your work and get away from everything, while also enjoying a bit of paradise.

Even though Bermuda is small in stature we are quite important in global society.  We have played a couple of important roles in history.  We are ‘Physically small but globally significant’

Our culture is significant

By Jahmair Trott
Berkeley Institute, special mention

Despite the fact that Bermuda is only twenty-one square miles, we have a global impact on the world. 

From tourism and International Business to our friendly people and unique culture, Bermuda is known throughout the world. 

There are plenty of reasons why Bermuda is so large economically, and I hope that this letter will reveal to you some of these reasons.

First of all, Bermuda is widely known for its great tourist attractions, most of them natural for example the Crystal Caves and our pink sand beaches. 

Crystal Caves is known for its beautiful stalagmites that hang from above and its stalactites that rise from below. 

Natural

All of these natural attractions help bring in thousands of tourists each and every year.

Tourism is very important to Bermuda because it makes up a little under 30 per cent of our Gross Domestic Product (GDP). 

Eighty-four per cent of the tourists that Bermuda attracts are from North America, with most of these being from America.  This is mainly due to the fact that Bermuda is positioned so close to America which makes it easy for Americans to travel to and from their home country.  The other 14 per cent of tourists that come to the island mainly come from Europe.

International business also highly contributes to Bermuda’s economy.

It is actually the highest source of income, surpassing tourism. 

International businesses also helps out the hotel industry because of the fact that most business send workmen to negotiate terms before bringing the business to the island.  Since the workmen need somewhere to stay, they often stay at hotels, which bring in money for Bermuda. 

International business comes in a variety of forms, from insurance and re-insurance business to banking.

Another one of Bermuda’s reasons that make us globally significant is the fact that we are one of the richest countries in the world for our size.  In fact we are the fourth richest country on the entire planet per capita.

Significant

This shows that despite our very small size on the map, we can make just as much as the big boys of the world. 

I feel that this is due to the large amounts of business per capita on the island, for locals and tourists. 

Also, I feel that the variety of different businesses come into consideration as well.

Since there are so many different businesses on the island, people have a variety of items to choose from which overall boosts the country’s economy.

I also feel that our culture here in Bermuda has a part to play when it comes to us being significantly global.  To many, our culture is unique and different from most other Caribbean countries. 

We have all sorts of events, holidays and traditions that fall under this category. From our colourful and traditional gombeys to the lively atmosphere of our holidays, Bermudian culture is one that is heard of by many around the world but only people that have traveled to the island truly know of it.

Overall, Bermuda plays a huge part globally, both economically and culturally. We are an island full of diversity and uniqueness. I truly hope that you can see the greatness and possibilities that the rest of the world sees in us.