COMMUNICATIONS, THE MEDIA AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
service enhancements included a 24-hour Speedpost acceptance service set up at the Air Mail Centre and the provision of tailor-made software to enable customers to pre-print Speedpost and Local CourierPost posting documents.
During the year, the Local CourierPost service was further upgraded to cover industrial areas in Tuen Mun, Yuen Long and Fanling, and to provide counter collection and call-for services to better serve customers.
Hongkong Post has frozen the principal postage rates for more than five years, since September 1996, to provide greater value for money to the public and the business community. In order to better meet customers' needs and enhance service profitability, Hongkong Post has adopted a retail strategy to offer more agency services at counters. The PayThruPost service, introduced in April 2000, was further extended to accept telephone and government bills in April and October 2001, respectively. The public can now enjoy a convenient one-stop shop service for making bill payments at any post office.
The Hongkong Post Logistics service, launched in 2000, is aimed at catering for the growing market demand for a seamless, cost-effective and one-stop integrated logistics solution for businesses. This service provides a comprehensive range of supply chain management services and also accepts orders on behalf of merchants at post offices or collects payments for purchases from end-customers. A new Gift Redemption service was introduced in October to provide service for some banks at designated post offices.
Hong Kong 2001, the first Asian International Stamp Exhibition since reunification, was held from February 1 to 5 under the theme of 'Nature'. It was co- organised by Hong Kong Philatelic Society and other local philatelic associations. The exhibition had the patronage of the Federation of Inter-Asian Philately as the 15th Asian International Stamp Exhibition. Hong Kong 2001 aimed to sustain the philatelic interest generated by Hong Kong '97 and promote stamp collecting as a healthy and educational hobby. The launch of Personal Greetings Stamps at the exhibition attracted much interest as the stamps could be personalised by adding a photographic portrait at the edges. More than 220 000 enthusiasts visited the exhibition.
Seven sets of stamps were issued during the year, featuring the Year of the Snake; Personal Greetings; 150 Years of Water Supply; Hong Kong, China — Australia Joint Stamp Issue on Dragon Boat Races; Hong Kong Tea Culture; Hong Kong Herbs; and Children Stamps. With new initiatives incorporated in the stamp design, Hongkong Post has brought to the public and philatelists pleasant surprises and novelties. The '150 Years of Water Supply' special stamps were the first embossed stamps in the local postal history while the 'Hong Kong Tea Culture' issue represented the first set of scented stamps in Hong Kong with the fragrance of jasmine tea. The 'Children Stamps' set was the first self-adhesive and colouring set of Hong Kong stamps to allow children to colour-in the stamps in any way that they wished. There are 38 post offices equipped with a philatelic counter to better serve the needs of philatelists.
To reinforce young collectors' interest in producing stamp exhibits and to promote philately among students, Hongkong Post organised the second Inter-School Competition on Stamp Exhibits with the support of the Education Department and
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