RESUMO
Background@#A “smile” is universal in all cultures as being a friendly greeting. The successes of many tourism industries come through the uniqueness of their country. The phrase “Bula Smile” has been widely used by overseas visitors in promoting Fiji. @*Methodology@#A cross-sectional study was conducted with 32 participants who were international visitors accommodated at the Capricorn Hotel in Suva. Data was collected with a questionnaire, which documented the awareness and the effects of the different types of Bula Smile on visitor perceptions. @*Results@#The most common positive observation of the people of Fiji was their friendliness (47%) followed by the Bula Smile (34%). Majority agreed that the Bula Smile of the employees was appealing and gave a positive impression, while those with decayed, missing or poorly filled front teeth changed the impression of 38% of the visitors and gave a negative impression of the health status of Fijians. @*Conclusion@#Results suggest that the Bula Smile is being noticed, while also creating a positive impression of Fiji. Moreover, the onus is on those in the tourism industry to exploit the many positives of the Bula Smile, using it to recruit new visitors while also influencing a return visit to Fiji.