ENG-2004 — Page 475

Communications, the Media and Information Technology | 409

represents a slight increase of 0.5 per cent over 2003, with local mail accounting for 85 per cent of the items processed. Some 11 593 tonnes of letter mail and 1 752 tonnes of parcels were dispatched outside Hong Kong by air, representing a 3 per cent increase over 2003. The Mainland, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan and Australia were Hongkong Post's major partners for letter mail, while Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia were its major partners for parcels.

Enhancing Mail Processing and Distribution

As a major refocus exercise, single daily delivery for local mail was introduced in January across the territory without compromising the next-day delivery standard for local mail. This was a key efficiency initiative which reflected changing market demands and global trends, enabling Hongkong Post to deploy its resources more effectively. While achieving resources efficiency, Hongkong Post also recorded a formidable success rate of 99.7 per cent for next-day territory-wide delivery of local letters, beating the 98 per cent target set in the performance pledge, which represents the world's highest delivery standard.

Local CourierPost and Speedpost Improvement

Introduced in January, the Local Courier Post Postage Prepaid Envelope gives customers even greater convenience with a tenfold increase in acceptance points from 133 post offices to additional 900 street posting boxes across the territory.

In May, the Speedpost network was expanded to 120 additional destinations, giving Speedpost more extensive coverage in South America, Eastern Europe and Africa. The resultant worldwide coverage of 216 destinations means that Speedpost provides an international courier service to nearly every corner of the world.

Hong Kong's first Collection and Delivery Management System utilising GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) to facilitate resource allocation and improve overall efficiency for the operation of the courier service was fully implemented in 2004. Three hundred-plus postmen are now equipped with PDAs, thrusting Hongkong Post to the forefront in courier service in its use of state-of-the-art technology.

Hong Kong 2004 Stamp Expo

A highlight of the year was the Hong Kong 2004 Stamp Expo held in January. More than 100 postal administrations, philatelic agents, security printers, stamp and coin dealers, philatelic publishers and stationery suppliers from around the world participated in the Expo. Designed to encourage philately among local and international collectors, the five-day evert attracted over 120 000 visitors. The Expo was conducted under the patronage of the Federation of Inter-Asian Philately, and co-organised by Hongkong Post with the Hong Kong Philatelic Society, the China Philatelic Society and the Tsim Sha Tsui Philatelic Club. The theme of tourism supported the government's initiative to promote tourism in the territory. Six individual stamp sets in the tourism series were released in phases from April 2003 to the Expo.