Lured by cheap prices and a campaign to promote the Indian Ocean island as a shopping mecca, holiday-makers are foresaking sun-tanning and watersports on the coast and heading inland to take advantage of organised spending sprees.

"For more than 30 years we have been developing beach tourism," said Mahmood Cheeroo, the head of the Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "Now, we want to turn Mauritius into a shopping paradise."

And, by the busload, tourists are descending on factory outlet shops and boutiques in Floreal, southeast of Port Louis, to buy the latest in Dior lingerie, Burberry leather, Versace trousers and Dolce & Gabana tee-shirts.

"When tour operators hit the centre of the island, they all stop in Floreal," said Edley Chimon, the president of the Mauritius Export Processing Zone (MEPZA) who also runs a jewellery shop that specialises in diamonds.

"We want to make Mauritius a 'shopping centre', especially for luxury goods, so tourists have that as well as the sun and the beach," he said.

Real or fake?
The island has proven to be fertile ground for the effort. Despite suffering from the abolition of global textile quotas earlier this month, Mauritius still has about 200 garment factories, many of them specialising in high-end clothing, leather tanneries and jewellers and offers relatively cheap labour, according to MEZPA.

It is rare, however, for companies whose products are manufactured in Mauritius to grant licences to sell them domestically under their brand name. "We produce for all practically all markets, but we only have the right to some of the products here," Cheeroo said.

Graff, the London-based jeweller, which produces its line in Mauritius allows its baubles to be sold on the island — at a 30 percent discount from what one would pay in Britain. But, Australian jeweller Cargyle prohibits the sale in Mauritius of its pieces made in Mauritius.

"Some (companies) want exclusivity, they want specialised shops with uniform presentation," Chimon said. "They don't want the product to become common or copied."

Still, one finds these same brand names in shops here, and, at very interesting prices: Dior underwear at 2200 rupees ($81), Burberry sports shirts for 1200 rupees ($44), for example.

"They are real," insists the saleswoman at one shop, offering "proof" in the form of a certificate of authenticity that is, in fact, a mere invoice.

"It's fake, but it's well-made," said an Italian tourist, who along with her husband, was admiring a pair of trousers with an Armani label. "You can't buy anything at this price in Italy."

Diamond cutters at work

Cheeroo of the Chamber of Commerce said he couldn't say if all the shops in Floreal had licenses to sell brand-name apparal, were doing so without authorisation or were offering fakes to customers. But officials acknowledge that counterfeiting is widespread.

"Many of these items have been pirated," said Jayen Cuttaree, the minister of foreign affairs and international trade. "But, it is very difficult to tell the difference between the real thing and a fake."

Under international pressure, Mauritius last year adopted anti-pirating legislation and created a specialised police unit to go after counterfeiters.

While this may be of some reassurance to the brand owners, tourists in Mauritius appear to be paying little heed to the law. "As long as they have the quality and the label, no one cares if the clothes are real or fake," said a bronzed French shopper who gave her name only as Daniele.

		Shopping spree to Mauritius Want to go? You'll need a flight to get there, so click here for an online booking. A number of tour operators offer cheap packages to Mauritius, so speak to your travel agent to find out the best deals on offer. South Africans don't need a visa to visit Mauritius for less than six months, but do make sure that your passport is valid for at least six months after your date of return. Malaria is not found Mauritius, but travellers arriving from a yellow fever area will require a vaccination certificate. Click here to find out more about the island from Mauritius tourism.

AFP