# DELIVERABLE D — Promotion and gap analysis

Access date for source appendix URLs: 2026-05-15

## 1. Under-modeled cities that should become or remain first-class destination records

Promote or keep as first-class:

- Bangkok — unavoidable national gateway; high decision density across stay, AQI, route, food, gold.
- Chiang Mai — strong city/base/food/smoke decision density.
- Phuket — base-area + ferry + marine + food decision density.
- Krabi — ferry/base/marine logic is too important for generic page.
- Pattaya — must split from Chonburi; distinct hotel/crowd/ferry/event logic.
- Hua Hin–Cha-am — merged page is valid; needs separate sub-base logic.
- Pai — small but high decision density because route 1095, smoke, crowding and base choice matter.
- Ayutthaya — heritage + day/overnight + heat/flood route decisions.
- Kanchanaburi — high base-spread/route-friction value.
- Chiang Rai — airport, border/mountain routes, smoke-season logic.
- Khon Kaen — Isan urban hub; useful stay/route/food record.
- Ubon Ratchathani — event/culture/Mekong route page justified.
- Nakhon Ratchasima — gateway page needed to separate Khorat/Pak Chong/Khao Yai/Phimai.
- Nong Khai — Laos/Mekong route anchor.
- Surat Thani — ferry/route anchor, even if city tourism depth is modest.
- Trang — food city + Andaman ferry node.
- Hat Yai — southern rail/air/border food-shopping hub.
- Sukhothai — UNESCO heritage and old/new city base split.
- Chanthaburi — gem/fruit/old-town verticals justify promotion.
- Buriram — event + Khmer route page justified.
- Nan — promote if northern quiet-route coverage is a product goal.
- Mae Hong Son — promote as route-heavy node, not generic city page.
- Nakhon Phanom — promote if building Mekong route coverage.
- Nakhon Si Thammarat — promote as southern culture/food candidate, but improve source coverage first.

## 2. Cities that should stay support nodes only

- Nonthaburi — Bangkok metro river/Ko Kret support.
- Pathum Thani — Bangkok north-route / market / museum support.
- Samut Prakan — Bangkok airport-adjacent and east-coast route support.
- Chonburi — province/east-coast support after splitting Pattaya.
- Songkhla — Hat Yai-related old-town/food/culture node unless building a broader Hat Yai–Songkhla page.
- Lopburi — route anchor rather than full city destination unless creating central heritage rail corridor.

## 3. Current merged records

| current merge | recommendation | reason |
|---|---|---|
| Pattaya + Chonburi | split | Pattaya has destination-specific hotel, event, ferry and crowd logic; Chonburi province is a broader support/east-coast corridor. |
| Hua Hin + Cha-am | keep merged | Same Bangkok beach-drive decision market; Cha-am is best modeled as quieter northern sub-base. |
| Hat Yai + Songkhla | partial merge | Hat Yai should be first-class hub; Songkhla Old Town should be related support/specialized food-culture node. |
| Bangkok + metro provinces | do not merge as equal pages | Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan should support Bangkok decisions, not compete as broad destination pages. |

## 4. Cities deserving dedicated stay-guide pages

High priority: Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi, Pattaya, Hua Hin–Cha-am, Pai, Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi, Chiang Rai, Surat Thani, Hat Yai, Trang, Sukhothai, Nakhon Ratchasima, Chanthaburi.

Medium priority: Khon Kaen, Ubon Ratchathani, Nong Khai, Buriram, Mae Hong Son, Nan, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Nakhon Phanom.

Do not create generic stay-guide pages yet: Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Lopburi, Chonburi province-wide, Songkhla standalone.

## 5. Specialized verticals

| vertical | strongest cities/nodes |
|---|---|
| food-route | Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Hat Yai, Trang, Chanthaburi, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Songkhla, Khon Kaen, Ubon Ratchathani |
| rail/route anchor | Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi, Sukhothai via nearby rail/bus, Lopburi, Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen, Nong Khai, Ubon Ratchathani, Hat Yai, Surat Thani, Trang |
| ferry anchor | Phuket, Krabi, Surat Thani, Trang, Pattaya/Ko Lan, Chonburi/Ko Sichang support |
| gold-buying-check | Bangkok first; Chiang Mai, Phuket, Pattaya and Hat Yai as live-price/shop-directory support |
| gem-market / jewelry | Chanthaburi first; Bangkok jewelry/gold context second; Phuket/Pattaya/Hat Yai only if source coverage improves |

## 6. Public-source foundation quality

| source foundation | cities |
|---|---|
| strongest official/public observation base | Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Krabi, Hat Yai, Surat Thani, Trang, Pattaya, Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi, Sukhothai, Ubon, Nong Khai |
| strong static official base, medium live-observation base | Chiang Rai, Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen, Buriram, Chanthaburi, Hua Hin–Cha-am |
| mostly static/editorial until better local feeds are added | Nan, Mae Hong Son, Nakhon Phanom, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Lopburi, Songkhla |
| support-node source base only | Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Chonburi province-wide |