Sophie Ibbotson (maximumexposure.co) is the founder of Maximum Exposure Ltd, a tourism and culture development consultancy, and PR company, focused on emerging destinations. She read Oriental Studies at Clare College, Cambridge, and has a particular interest in Afghanistan and Central Asia, where she has worked since 2008. An author or co-author of six Bradt travel guides, three of which cover central Asia (Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan), Ibbotson has also written for publications such as Newsweek, The Financial Times, The Economist and The Telegraph. She is also: the co-founder and managing editor of Panorama: The Journal of Intelligent Travel; a consultant for the World Bank; Uzbekistan’s Tourism Ambassador to the UK; a board member of the British Georgian Chamber of Commerce; and a council member of the Royal Society for Asian Affairs.