FIAP acts as lighthouse for philatelists

“FIAP plays a key role in promoting the development of postal services and philately in the Asia region,” remarked Ho Yuan-Hsuan, chairperson of Taiwan Post, which acts as executive organizer of this year’s stamp exhibition and conference.

“It will be especially important for FIAP to convene the annual conference at a time when most countries around the world encounter a decline in traditional postal service due to growing e-commerce,” Ho noted. The meeting will serve as a platform for representatives of FIAP member countries to exchange viewpoints on how to deal with the changing environment.

Nowadays, as he noted, e-mail and other digital vehicles have rapidly grown as dominating channels for communications among people, and that has resulted in shrinking demand for traditional postal service. However, he stressed, the former can never fully replace the latter because “the traditional postal service has its unique advantages.” Packages or other material objects, for example, should be delivered only through physical means.

No matter how the traditional postal market has changed, it won’t influence the enthusiasm of philatelists in collecting stamps. In contrast, stamps may become even more valuable in the era of a shrinking market of traditional postal service.

FIAP, dating back to the early 1970s when a group of enthusiastic philatelists from Asia, Australia and the Middle East had a common desire to form an international philatelic association, was formally registered in Singapore on Sept. 14, 1974, with eight founding member countries of Indonesia, Iran, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

Since its establishment, FIAP has seen rapid growth in its membership, which is now composed of 30 member countries spread in Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Africa. Among them, 24 will organize delegations to attend the annual conference and stamp exhibition held in Taipei this year.

“FIAP is a young international philatelic organization, but acts as a powerful lighthouse guiding the Asian members to the route to organized philately,” said the organization.

Taiwan joined FIAP in 1989 and has since become an active member of the organization. This year is the fourth time Taiwan is hosting the annual event for FIAP, following the Asian International Invitation Stamp Exhibition in 1993, the 10th Asian International Stamp Exhibition in 1996, and the 18th Asian International Stamp Exhibition in 2005.

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