{
  "version": 1,
  "reviewedAt": "2026-09-11",
  "scope": "Editorial trip-role profiles for Premier Asiana's wave-1 destinations. Editorial fit guidance only — no visitor statistics are asserted.",
  "destinations": [
    {
      "key": "bali",
      "name": "Bali",
      "country": "Indonesia",
      "guide": "/where-to-stay-in-bali/",
      "role": "Anchor island — the base decision shapes the whole trip",
      "stayAdvice": "Split a first week: three or four nights in Ubud's interior, the rest on one southern coastal base (Canggu for scene, Seminyak for polish, Sanur for families, Uluwatu for cliffs, Nusa Dua for resorts).",
      "timeShape": "Five nights minimum to carry an interior-plus-coast split; a single-base week works for single-mode trips.",
      "transportShape": "Scheduled shuttles such as Kura-Kura serve selected routes; check stops, reservations and onward access. Ride-hailing and hired drivers remain useful for door-to-door trips. South-island traffic is slow at most hours — plan around road time, not distance.",
      "bestFor": [
        "Interior culture and landscape with a beach chapter",
        "Distinct bases serving honeymoons, surf trips, and families on one island",
        "Dry-season travel roughly April to October"
      ],
      "caution": "There is no 'central' base and cross-island commuting is the classic first-trip regret; pick one or two bases and live from them.",
      "demand": {
        "status": "not-verified",
        "note": "No official visitor statistic is asserted for this destination; official sources are linked from the guide pages instead."
      }
    },
    {
      "key": "phuket",
      "name": "Phuket",
      "country": "Thailand",
      "guide": "/where-to-stay-in-phuket/",
      "role": "Anchor island — beach choice decides the holiday",
      "stayAdvice": "Kata for the balanced first-trip default, Patong only when nightlife is the stated goal, Karon for space, Bang Tao for resort polish, plus an optional Old Town culture night or two.",
      "timeShape": "A five-to-seven-night single-base week is the natural shape, with boat day trips from any base.",
      "transportShape": "Phuket Smart Bus serves visitor routes; check its current timetable and the walk to your hotel. Taxis, ride-hailing and hotel transfers fill other gaps. Beaches are self-contained, and boat trips depend on marine conditions.",
      "bestFor": [
        "Uncomplicated swim-and-eat beach weeks in the typically calmer November-to-April season, subject to daily conditions",
        "Boat day trips to Phang Nga Bay and the surrounding islands",
        "Nightlife-centred trips, isolated cleanly in Patong"
      ],
      "caution": "In the May-to-October monsoon window west-coast beaches carry real surf and rip currents — stay out under red flags and follow lifeguard instructions in every month.",
      "demand": {
        "status": "not-verified",
        "note": "No official visitor statistic is asserted for this destination; official sources are linked from the guide pages instead."
      }
    },
    {
      "key": "tokyo",
      "name": "Tokyo",
      "country": "Japan",
      "guide": "/where-to-stay-in-tokyo/",
      "role": "Anchor metropolis — pick the rail hub that matches the trip",
      "stayAdvice": "Shinjuku as the reach-and-range default (book west or south of the station), Shibuya for walking-scale density, Tokyo Station-Ginza for Shinkansen itineraries, Asakusa-Ueno for the calmer old east side.",
      "timeShape": "Three nights minimum; the city absorbs any number. On two-city itineraries, weight nights toward Tokyo.",
      "transportShape": "Entirely rail-shaped: stay close to the rail or metro interchange used most days; the hotel-to-platform walk matters more than the district's fame.",
      "bestFor": [
        "First Japan trips wanting broad coverage from one base",
        "Food and neighbourhood depth across very different districts",
        "Day trips west (Hakone, the mountains) from the Shinjuku lines"
      ],
      "caution": "Do not book far from the lines used most days just to save on the room — repeated transfers and walks create a compounding daily time cost.",
      "demand": {
        "status": "not-verified",
        "note": "No official visitor statistic is asserted for this destination; official sources are linked from the guide pages instead."
      }
    },
    {
      "key": "kyoto",
      "name": "Kyoto",
      "country": "Japan",
      "guide": "/where-to-stay-in-kyoto/",
      "role": "Anchor heritage city — atmosphere versus logistics",
      "stayAdvice": "Downtown (Kawaramachi-Pontocho) as the default; Gion-Higashiyama when atmosphere is the point; the Station area for day-trip-heavy plans; Arashiyama as a one-or-two-night riverside chapter.",
      "timeShape": "Two nights minimum — the city's case is its evenings and dawns — three or four with Nara, Fushimi Inari, or Osaka day trips.",
      "transportShape": "Rail and subway are the reliable layer and the day-trip engine; buses jam with peak-season crowds; the historic districts are walking country.",
      "bestFor": [
        "Temples, gardens, and machiya streets lived in at dawn and after dark",
        "One-stop day trips to Nara, Fushimi Inari, and Osaka",
        "Ryokan and machiya stays as a trip centrepiece"
      ],
      "caution": "Day-tripping Kyoto shows you its most crowded hours and none of its best ones; sleep the night.",
      "demand": {
        "status": "not-verified",
        "note": "No official visitor statistic is asserted for this destination; official sources are linked from the guide pages instead."
      }
    }
  ]
}