Retail tours in China for overseas Chinese: Soft power or hard sell?

Abstract

We used analytical auto-ethnography to explore the package tour experience of overseas Chinese in China. Soft power and hard sell both emerge as integral aspects of this sellscape. Soft power capitalizes on participant motivations of cost, culture, curiosity and consumerism and is manifest in high quality and low cost facilities and services. Hard sell occurs in shopping venues and is characterized by aggressive sales tactics and captive settings. Dissatisfaction with hard sell, however, is 'negotiated' and does not outweigh overall satisfaction, suggesting that tours contribute positively to the geopolitical sustainability of the Chinese state. Optimal mobilization, however, is more likely through more explicit government involvement.