Chinese Outbound Tourists and Daigou as Soft Power

Abstract

Daigou is worth billions globally and is fueled by mobile connectivity and advances in e-commerce, and therefore, it is important to understand the impact of the Daigou phenomenon. While shopping is very much at the heart of Chinese outbound tourism, very little is known of the role that Daigou plays in terms of manifesting the soft power agenda. Soft power has long been a crucial element in China’s rise as a major international power. This research identifies and conceptualizes six key aspects from a qualitative content analysis using Nvivo to document academic and non-academic publications about Daigou, which in turn identifies how Daigou manifests into a soft power bricolage. This study contributes to the nuanced understanding of how soft power may be operationalized by shifting the focus to an informal, and yet powerful facet of Chinese outbound tourism.