Anthropology's tourist gaze in Hawaii.

We have discussed in class, ideas and theories of doing tourism. David Crouch, however, in his article, "Surrounded by Place: Embodied Encounters", acknowledges that as important as some of these ideas which contemplate the tourist gaze are, they overlook the notion of the 'embodied experience'. Crouch claims that the tourist experience is physically performed, as it is a full, bodily experience and not just a visual, gazing one. By looking at Desmond's article, "Let's Lu …

…and visual experience, is quite evident. This exchange between performers and audience provides a special lived experience, and a safe encounter with a different culture. The importance of treating Hawaiian tourism as surrounding space as opposed to distant space is enormous, as for example with lu au attendees. They rated their Hawaiian vacation, 'far superior' to vacations they had taken elsewhere, revealing the importance of bringing the destination image, literally to life through these encounters.