Big increase in UAE mail
BUBAI: Despite the global anthrax scare and Internet eating into large volumes of postal business internationally, the UAE Postal Authority has reported voluminous increase in its mail during the festive season.
“The incoming mail volume, which includes postage paid letters, business mail, as well as greetings, have increased by almost 40 per cent over the previous year,” Sultan Al-Midfaa, director of operations at Emirates Post said. Taking pride in postal authority’s newly acquired corporate image and introduction of latest technology and postal services, Midfaa, said Eid, Christmas and New Year celebrations in the UAE have not only helped in raising people’s spirits in the country, but also boosted volume of mail enormously this year.
“Since the beginning of holy month of Ramadan around 800,000 incoming mail is being received by Emirates Post offices daily. “Of these, postage paid letters account for around 400,000, while international mail including greetings for Eid, Christmas and New Year is between 250,000 to 300,000 daily,” he said.
Majority of the incoming mail and greetings are from the subcontinent, Philippines and Sri lanka.
“We also have big numbers arriving from Gulf countries, Europe and America,” he added.
According to Midfaa, around 80 per cent of incoming mail is received at Emirates Post’s Al Ramool post office which houses a fully automated sorting department equipped to handle large volumes of mail on a daily basis. “During the holy month of Ramadan, our staff at the sorting department has worked in five shifts to clear incoming mail received on a daily basis,” he said, adding, the sorting of mail is completed daily so that letters can be delivered to the addressee on the following day.
“We do not leave any mail pending for sorting on the next day since it’s our policy to clear total mail received on the same day itself to help in the speedy delivery of mail. “Apart from increase registered in incoming mail this year, outgoing international mail volume has also increased. Unable to give an exact figure, he said, the mail collection boxes of Emirates Post located all over the country receive between 60,000 to 100,000 mail daily. He added that the number of parcels have also increased this year.
Midfaa attributes the overall increase in postal business this year to postal authority’s complete change in policy as well as in technology and new postal services, both within and outside the organisation.
“The launch of the new postage paid postcard promotion during festive season, for the first time in the UAE, is among the many innovative promotions of postal authority that has contributed in significant increase in business.” Although, he admits that Internet has been eating into profits of mail business internationally, people during festive seasons still believe in age old traditions of physical exchange of greetings and gifts.
Meanwhile, anthrax scare globally has failed to affect postal business in the UAE. He said not a single anthrax case was reported in the UAE. Copyright 2001 Kuwait Times. Source: World Reporter (Trade Mark) – Middle East Intelligence Wire.
