The phrase "Aloha Spirit" is frequently used to characterize the features of the Honolulu Marathon. Accordingly, Japanese participants express their appreciation of the "Aloha Spirit," even though its significance does not necessarily conform to the traditional notion of "aloha" shared by Hawaiians. When the Japanese return home, they share their experience of the Aloha Spirit with others, who in turn, learn about the marathon and the spirit. The touristic notion of the Aloha Spirit of the marathon is reproduced and perpetuated in this manner through tourists and the tourism industry. This study shows that tourists not only confirm the image of tourism as has been proposed by Boorstin and others but also reproduce the image of the tourism.
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