Editor-in-chief Simon Burgess said Diplomatic Courier - the brainchild of a long-serving former diplomat Andrew Barber - would plug a gap in the regional publishing market as well as target a wealthy niche demographic.
However, unlike similar titles in markets outside Asia, Diplomatic Courier will be more lifestyle- than trade-focused, said Burgess.
"Andrew's view is that we don't need to fill the title with news about diplomatic postings, because our target reader would be reading this all day long from embassy dispatches."
Instead, Diplomatic Courier will focus on motoring, personal finance, travel, entertainment and dining, health, book reviews and education, with content skewed towards the diplomatic community. "Our articles are likely to be heavier than Vogue or Cosmopolitan," Burgess said.
As an example, Burgess said its travel content would be divided into a city guide section to provide a snapshot of cities visited by diplomats on business, as well as high-end travel features such as spas and off-the-beaten track destinations to target a market that is "wealthy and enjoys generous allowances".
In addition to home leave, Burgess said embassy staff travel extensively on diplomatic business within their regions and frequently take holidays away from their area of work.
Aside from travel, the company believes its target market's frequent relocations, entertainment and the need to be well-dressed and groomed for their roles make them a highly desirable audience for brands.
The title will be distributed to accredited diplomats in 15 cities in Asia, including Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok.
Targeted embassies include the US, Canada, France, Italy and South Africa.
Copies will also be sent to UN agencies such as UNICEF, UNDP, UNESCO and WHO.
A full-page ROP ad costs US$4,000 for a single insertion.
Diplomatic Courier's team includes publisher Victor Jeffery, who runs the Superbrands project in Asia, and Barber as consultant editor.
Barber left diplomatic service in 2001 after more than 20 years of a varied career with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.