Are stamps and letters still being used in the UAE?

Dubai: With the rise of the digital age and the shift to the electronic mailing system, has anyone wondered how the traditional mailing system has survived, or if anyone still sends letters through the post office?

As a matter of a fact, people still use the traditional mailing system and buy stamps for different purposes, but the decline in demand is evident says Ebrahim Bin Karam, a chief commercial officer at Emirates Post Group.

The number of stamps being printed has declined in the past six years, according to Bin Karam, but the Emirates Post office has managed to find alternatives to keep their business on the rise in the digital age.

“There has been a decline in the number of stamps being issued, mainly because there has been less demand when it comes to people sending letters through the post office. This is why the number of stamps being distributed has gone down too. However, we are still going to continue issuing them because they serve as an important part of documenting milestones marked by the UAE, and are still in high demand by stamp collectors, who are known as philatelists,” he said.

Bin Karam believes that a stamp serves like an ambassador because it travels the world and can be a form of historical reference. With the recent Expo2020 theme being launched, Emirates Post Office has decided to yearly issue stamps associated with the international event.

“Philatelists play a major role in keeping the stamp demand going. The Emirates Philatelic Association for example request and suggest the subjects we should work on and the themes they think will gain more popularity. Philatelists here continue to clear out the stamps we distribute for sale. The less we print, the more they are in demand for them,” said Bin Karam.

Based on him, the value of the stamp goes high then the stamps are sold out or when they become old. “Philatelists make a fortune as they continue collecting different sets of stamps and adding it to their collection, because they can later sell them to exhibitors and participate in international competitions.”

When asked about how Emirates Post Group has dealt with challenges, Bin Karam pointed out that they have always had alternatives by introducing several services that could go along with their business.

“The future lies in logistics and distribution. We continue to develop systems and offer services that are high in demand. The PoBox is still in very high demand. Based on statistics, we’ve noticed an increase this year with more than 375,000 of them being rented by individuals and companies.”

With the decline in the use of the traditional mailing system due to the internet, Gulf News decided to speak to residents about the last time they have visited the post office to send a letter.

Sabine Boghos, 22, from Lebanon said she last wrote a letter 4 to 5 years ago when she was in contact with a friend of hers who lived in London.

“When I lost touch with my friend and when there were easier forms of communication being introduced, I completely stopped dealing with letters. The only reason I decided to send letters to her is because I believe they have more value and are more personal. The effort you put into writing them and the fact that you can keep them is what keeps their value high,” she said.

Neelam Saharia, 60, from India says the last time she used the mailing system was to send her son’s wedding invitations to India which was last year, but the hassle and inconvenience forced her to email the rest of the cards.

“It was time consuming and took a lot of effort. The only reason I chose to send them by mail was because it is an Indian custom for relatives to receive the invitation by hand. We have stopped relying on letters for a very long time now,” she said.

Neelam said that when international calls were unaffordable 24 years ago and when there was no internet, people had to send letters, but now there is no need to go through the whole process.

For a 30-year-old scuba diving instructor, using the mailing system until this day is important to complete a certification process he needs to prepare for his students.

“After training the students, they get to choose whether they want to receive the certification through normal mail or through DHL from Europe. They usually choose the normal mail since its cheaper, but it takes 3 to 4 months to go and come back,” Kholousi Khayal said.

Khayal said he never thought he would need to send letters because it’s too inconvenient, but he says that according to what he has witnessed, a number of labourers and housemaids still use the traditional mail since many don’t know how to deal with a PC and their family back home don’t have access to the internet.

Others like Faisal Al Onaizi, 19, from Saudi Arabia, says he has never sent a letter and is not sure why stamps are used. He only knows that it is stuck outside the letter.

“I think it’s something that is so outdated and I don’t imagine I’d ever need to use it. We have many other alternatives and other means of communication. I don’t believe there is any reason for us to go through the long process of sending a letter,” he said.