Betong's tourist fortunes improve

Betong's tourist fortunes improve

brighter times: Vehicles pass through the checkpoint in Betong district opposite Perak state of Malaysia. It is one of the main border crossings with Malaysia.
brighter times: Vehicles pass through the checkpoint in Betong district opposite Perak state of Malaysia. It is one of the main border crossings with Malaysia.

Despite being situated in a strife-torn area, the southernmost Betong district of Yala province has seen a surge in tourists.

According to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), about 800,000 tourists, both foreign and domestic, visited Betong last year and spent more than 3 billion baht during their stays, up 50% on a year earlier.

As a result, the TAT expects that the number of visitors to Betong this year may hit a new record at 1.2 million.

Damrong Deesakoon, chief district officer of Betong, said safety is a key reason more tourists are coming to Betong as the city has been free of serious violent incidents for the past two years.

"The local community also cooperated with the police and the military to protect the town and prevent insurgents from infiltrating Betong. They are the eyes and ears of security forces," he said.

Betong was recently removed from the list of severe emergency areas by the government after being strictly regulated under the 2005 Executive Decree for Public Administration in Emergency Situations for over a decade due to the insurgency.

This southern town is now the only district in Yala in which the decree has been replaced by the less draconian Internal Security Act.

The emergency decree gives widespread power to authorities by allowing them to detain any suspect for up to 30 days, while the security act caps detentions at seven days.

The security act gives the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc) the power of direct supervision, unlike the emergency decree which is overseen by the national committee headed by Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon.

"The lifting of the emergency decree shows Betong is not a dangerous area and authorities can control the situation," Mr Damrong said.

The Betong district head believes tourists now feel more confident about visiting his town, especially domestic tourists who were previously wary about the insurgency problem in the deep South.

"In the past, 80% of tourists visiting Betong were Malaysians and only around 10% were Thais, but last year the proportion has changed to 70/30 and I think it could be 50/50 in the near future," Mr Damrong said.

He said the lifting of the emergency decree in March has brought tourists to this misty town with hotel operators reporting full occupancy during long weekends and festive seasons.

"The mist-shrouded mountain of Airyerweng is now the most popular destination. Every day, we have people heading to the Airyerweng hilltop to watch the sea of mist that envelopes the area," Mr Damrong said.

Other popular tourist attractions in Betong are the winter flower garden and hot springs, as well as the Piyamitr caves which at one time were a stronghold of the Communist Party of Malaya, he added.

Betong is now one the areas in the three southernmost provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat being promoted under the government's "triangle economy city model" programme.

The "triangle" comprises Nong Chik district of Pattani, Sungai Kolok of Narathiwat and Betong of Yala.

Under the programme, a huge budget will be allocated for development projects which are part of the government's plan to boost the region and ease the southern insurgency.

For Betong, the government already approved a plan to construct an airport to handle more tourist arrivals.

The completion of Betong airport is expected next year.

Mr Damrong said the airport is likely to take over five million foreign tourists per year, particularly visitors from Malaysia, as the airport will enable those travelling from Betong district to Bangkok to reduce their travel costs significantly.

Yala province, including Betong, is expected to earn over 10 billion baht annually when the airport opens, he added.

"The airport will be a game changer because Betong now is only accessible via roads and a road trip from Hat Yai to Betong takes about 4-5 hours. When we have the airport, people will be able to visit our town in less than two hours," he said.

Aside from the airport, more tourism-related infrastructure is also set to be built to attract tourists to Betong.

According to Betong mayor Somyot Lertlamyong, a skywalk complex costing 98 million baht is set to be built in Airyerweng.

Work on the skywalk, which affords panoramic views of the mist-shrouded mountains, is expected to begin soon.

The route leading to Airyerweng would also be widened and provisions were also being made for more restaurants, souvenir shops and parking bays.

At least two biomass power plants are set to be constructed to reduce the risk of brownouts.

The roads linking the various towns in the southern provinces will also be upgraded.

The 120km two-lane road linking Betong to Yala, for example, will be upgraded to four lanes to cut the travelling time between the two towns.

"However, we will limit tourist arrivals at the peak of the 612-metre high Airyerweng hill to 4,000 a day to preserve our natural surroundings," he added.

The city also will need to improve its waste management. At the moment Betong only has one landfill site.

Mr Somyot said Betong is trying to transform itself into a tourist hub in a sustainable way by balancing environmental protection and economy development, so the environment and local culture will be available for future generations.

"Betong's economy at present is still dominated by agriculture, but we hope that in near future tourism will become a major source of income of locals here," he said. The mix of economic activities will change as a result.

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