Betong, Thailand

Betong (, ; (Jawi: بيتوڠ ) ; ) is a town ("thesaban mueang") in southern Thailand, near the Malaysian border. It is the capital of Betong District, the southernmost district of Yala Province. As of 2005, the town has a population of 24,688.
Betong is the southernmost town of Thailand and its location on the border with the Malaysian state of Perak makes it popular with tourists.
Etymology.
The name "Betong" is actually the Thai corruption of "Betung". Its original Malay name means 'bamboo'.
History.
The town was created as a local administration unit on 30 September 1939, when the sub-district municipality ("thesaban tambon") was set up. The town was upgraded to "thesaban mueang" status on 20 February 2004.
Economy.
Tourism.
Tourism is the driver of the Betong economy. Sex tourism is the reason for that. One academic has estimated that 3,000 to 5,000 sex workers service primarily Malaysian tourists. In 2014, 466,913 foreigners visited Betong, generating 2,130 million baht in revenue. The number of tourist arrivals rose to 700,000 in 2016.
 Thailand's transport ministry is constructing the 1.9 billion baht Betong Airport. It is scheduled to be opened in June 2020. Designed to handle 300 arrivals per hour, it is projected to serve one million passengers per year, generating three billion baht for the district. Nok Air, Bangkok Airways, and Malaysia's Firefly Airlines have plans to fly to Betong.