ENG-2011 — Page 445

Communications, the Media and Information Technology | 381

Postal Services

Hongkong Post celebrated 170 years of postal service in 2011, and was again given a high rating of 98.6 per cent in its annual customer satisfaction survey.

Mail Volumes

Hongkong Post handled 1.3 billion postal items in 2011, 84.5 per cent of which were local items and the rest were for delivery to places outside Hong Kong, mainly the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, the mainland of China, and Japan.

Speedpost

The Kowloon Speedpost Operations Centre commenced operation in March 2011. In July 2011, a discount scheme was launched to promote Speedpost as a cost-effective service, especially for small and medium enterprises. This was followed by a campaign in September 2011 highlighting Speedpost as a brand name that denotes reliability, value-for-money and extensive global reach.

Promoting Philately

Hongkong Post issued 13 sets of special stamps and sheetlets in 2011 commemorating events that included the Lunar New Year, the 150th Anniversary of Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, the Centenary of The University of Hong Kong, the Centenary of the Xinhai Revolution and the 170th Anniversary of Hong Kong Postal Service.

Supporting Direct Marketing Activities

Hongkong Post continued to promote its cross-border postal service which facilitates direct delivery of items to different parts of the Mainland. A seminar was held jointly by Hongkong Post, China Post and the Quality Tourism Services Association in June 2011 to raise awareness of this service.

New Logistics Service

In September 2011, a new logistics service was launched for the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) to collect returned library books from LCSD drop boxes located at three major MTR stations.

Supporting the New Era of E-Commerce

Hongkong Post launched a new service 'e-Express' to the US and a shipping portal 'EC-Ship' to provide online traders with simple, affordable and reliable

e-commerce solutions.

Retail Network

The Causeway Bay Post Office re-opened in January 2011 after three years, bringing the number of post offices in Hong Kong back to 128.