XN000022-1997-02-18 — Page 16

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Good response to stamp exhibition

HONG KONG '97 Stamp Exhibition was closed on Sunday, (February 16), with a record attendance of 260,000 visitors.

"The exhibition aimed to promote philately in Hong Kong and to reinforce Hong Kong's position as one of the world's major centres of philately," the Postmaster General, Mr Robert Footman said today (Tuesday).

He noted with delight the HONG KONG '97's success in achieving the following objectives:

Some 20,000 visitors viewed some of the best exhibits in the world, including the Royal Collection and the first Penny Black cover of 1840.

More than 2,000 entries for a stamp and Christmas card design competition were received and the prizes were presented to the winners during the exhibition period.

Some 15,000 visitors patronised the Youth Corner and participated in various games based on the theme of stamp collecting.

Philatelic classes introducing the hobby were held for some 4,000 members of school philatelic clubs and three seminars were held for the serious collectors on the subjects of thematics, postal history and traditional philately.

Over 50 philatelic marketing managers from 32 postal administrations took part in a marketing symposium, the first of its kind of this scale in Asia.

"The large number of people visiting HONG KONG '97 has indicated that stamp collecting has increasingly become a popular hobby in the territory, especially the youngsters."

"In view of the great success of the event, the Hong Kong Post Office will seriously consider organising a similar event at the turn of the century.

"This was the first international stamp exhibition ever organised by the Hong Kong Post Office. It had the support of the Federation of International Philately and the patronage of the Federation of Inter-Asian Philately and was designated as the 11th Asia International Stamp Exhibition," Mr Footman added.