(10th April 2002, Hong Kong) Hong Kong's first on-line booking service for leisure facilities has launched under the "Electronic Service Delivery" Scheme via ESDlife (www.esdlife.com), the award-winning bilingual portal delivering both government and personal services in Hong Kong. The new Leisure Link allows the public to book and pay for the rental of any of 120 sports facilities, as well as to enroll in recreational activities and sports training programmes from the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) through the ESDlife website and ESDkiosks throughout Hong Kong. Various payment methods, including VISA, MasterCard, EPS, JETCO or PPS, are accepted.

To mark the launch of the new service, ESDlife is giving users the chance to win free games at leisure facilities and to experience in person the action at some of the world's top sporting events. By participating in the ESDlife "World Tour of Sports" lucky draw, users can win trips to major tournaments such as the World Cup, the US Open Tennis Championship, NBA, and European football leagues.

The first to introduce one-stop booking and payment

• At present, about 80% of those who use government sports facilities make the trip to a booking office to reserve leisure facilities. The remaining 20% are booked over the telephone.
• The new on-line booking service allows users to book and pay in one easy process. It all takes just a few minutes, with the user checking the availability and selecting the venues and dates they prefer, and then choosing whether to pay by Visa, MasterCard, EPS, JETCO or PPS (only available at ESDkiosks).
• Not only is Leisure Link easy to use, it also saves time: a trip to the booking office is now a thing of the past.

ESDkiosks provide an extensive network of venue booking

• In order to provide access to the new Leisure Link service to all members of society, on-line booking and payment services are also available at any of the 100 ESDkiosks located in MTR and KCR stations, supermarkets, major shopping malls, as well as cultural and recreational centres around Hong Kong.
• The ESDkiosks print out receipts instantly once the transaction has been confirmed.

The only booking channel that provides 24 x 7 service

• In the past, the public could only reserve leisure facilities by using phone service or making a trip to the booking offices. Office hours and the opening hours of booking offices limited the convenience for the users.
• With the new on-line Leisure Link service, users can book leisure facilities and enroll for training programmes 24 x 7 x 365 via personal computer and ESDkiosks. (For details, please refer to the attached table)

"Hutchison E-Commerce is dedicated to promoting the development of electronic services in Hong Kong. I believe the new on-line booking service for leisure facilities provided by our subsidiary, ESDlife, brings greater convenience to sports lovers and as a result more people will be encouraged to use electronic public services," said Mr. Sammy Tse, Chief Executive Officer of Hutchison E-Commerce Limited.

Mr. Tony Ma, Chief Operating Officer of ESD Services Limited, noted: "Over 80% of those who participate in sport choose to play in venues managed by the LCSD, with some 3.5 million people using them every year. A recent survey we conducted showed that more than 80% of respondents were willing to use an innovative on-line booking service such as Leisure Link. I believe the service will prove very popular."

Three Hot Offers to On-line Leisure Link Users

To mark the launch of the on-line booking and payment service and encourage the public to participate more in sports activities, a series of promotional activities is planned.:

• Any user booking at the selected sports venue (please refer to the attached table) between 9 May to 7 June via the online Leisure Link service, can use the badminton, squash, tennis and table tennis facilities for free*.
• Anyone using the on-line service between 8 April to 28 October will be eligible for entry into the "World Tour of Sports" lucky draw. In a total of four lucky draws, participants will have a chance to win trips to Korea, the United States, Spain, Italy, Germany and England - including air tickets and accommodation - to selected world-class sporting events, including the World Cup, the US Open Tennis Championship Final, NBA and one of the four major European soccer leagues of your choice.
• ESDlife joint hand with Dao Heng Bank to provide extra benefits to its customers. All Dao Heng Bank's credit cards owners and Compass Visa card holders will enjoy $3 rebate for every time they pay for the on-line Leisure Link Service via ESDlife until the end of this year.

Flexibility and Choice

The new service allows users to book a wide variety of sports facilities on-line 30 days in advance, including both indoor and outdoor facilities managed by LCSD, such as:

In near future, the service will also allow enrollment in a wide range of community recreation activities and sports training programmes, such as yoga, tai chi, aerobic dance, and fitness training. Users no longer have to queue up early in the morning to enroll in these programmes.

Before enjoying the Leisure Link on-line booking and payment service, users who are not existing Leisure Link or Sportix members have to register with the LCSD. Application forms can be downloaded at ESDlife or LCSD's website. The form can be submitted by fax to 2377 4066 or mail to selected LCSD District Leisure Services Offices (for enquiries, call: 2414 5555).

* Users will be required to pay on-line. Upon presentation of their rental receipt and ID card at the ESDlife booth in the leisure venue, they will receive a refund.