Business updates

The Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry is pleased to announce that the taxfreeshopping.mu digital portal is now providing an e-commerce service. The launching of this service was held today, Friday 11th May 2018, in the presence of Hon. Soomilduth Bholah, Minister of Business, Enterprise and Cooperatives, at the seat of the MCCI.

Operators will have the opportunity to sell a large selection of genuine products at competitive prices to an unlimited market at any time. This service will be available not only to Tax Free Shopping operators but to the handicrafts operators of the Creative Mauritius project as well.

Hon. Soomilduth Bholah lauded the unprecedented initiative that MCCI, in collaboration with SME Mauritius, put forward by providing visibility and market linkages to craftsmen by freely providing them a webpage of their own with a description of their products, a photo gallery, their contact details as well as a geo-tracking feature. He highlighted that the consolidated partnership with MCCI has allowed Mauritius to position its rich handicraft culture on the global market via the Tax Free Shopping Portal.

In his speech, Mr. Marday Venkatasamy, President of the MCCI, underlined that the E-commerce service will allow a wide range of opportunities for both Tax free Shopping and Creative Mauritius operators to sell online to tourists, Mauritians and the diaspora. He also highlighted that with the support of Mauritius Post Ltd. customers will be able to buy online and the goods delivered in Mauritius or abroad.

The e-commerce service on the Tax-Free Shopping platform will support shops and handicrafts operators to deliver seamless shopping experiences locally as well as internationally. Up till now, the operators could only display their goods on the platform. Now, they will have the opportunity to even sell a range of products online to consumers who are more and more willing to opt for a convenient and 24*7 shopping experience.

Contribution of MCCI in Tax Free Shopping:

MCCI has pioneered the service Tax Free Shopping since 1996 to visitors with a foreign passport. Refunds are made in Euro (EUR), British Pound (GBP), US dollar (USD) and South African Rand (ZAR). Tax Free purchases are delivered to visitors on departure at the airport. 

The massive communication campaign that started in 2012 had a notable success as the number of transactions has doubled for the period 2012-2017. The number of Tax Free shops in the network has also increased from 389 in 2012 to more than 1100 in 2017.  

In 2014, MCCI launched its Tax Free Digital Portal www.taxfreeshopping.mu with the aim of facilitating tourist shopping with our network of operators engaged in VAT Refund and downtown duty-free activities. The website has gradually developed to include operators involved in the tourism-related services and handicraft operators in the Creative Mauritius section.

We are now achieving another major milestone by providing an e-commerce service on the digital portal, allowing tourists, the Mauritians Diaspora and local citizens, to buy online and get their goods delivered anywhere around the island or at the airport. Passengers in transit will also have the opportunity to order online and get their goods delivered before departure from Mauritius.

Collaboration with SME Mauritius

Creative Mauritius, which was started in May 2017, is a joint initiative of the MCCI and the SMEDA, now SME Mauritius Ltd, whose aim is to showcase the genuine handicrafts, both from Mauritius and Rodrigues, on the platform www.taxfreeshopping.mu to the world at large. Today, there are more than 125 artisans registered on the portal.

Collaboration with MIPS

MIPSIT Digital Ltd., the e-commerce service provider, is the aggregator of the e-marketplace and provides the e-payment system on the Tax Free Digital Portal.

Collaboration with Mauritius Post Ltd.

The Mauritius Post Ltd is the logistic partner of the MCCI in providing a courier service to shop operators offering the e-commerce service, at an exclusive competitive rate. They will ensure a secure shipping service to any destination.