SIHANOUKVILLE: According to a report received by EAC from the Director of the Sihanouk Department of Tourism, the province received a total of 472,697 tourists from December 30 to January 1: a 21% year-to-year increase.

According to Director Taing Socheth Krishna, 464,100 of the visitors were domestic (a 21% increase), while 8,597 were international guests (a nearly 2% decrease). He said that the Sihanoukville beaches and resorts welcomed 20% more tourists (465,893) while the nearby islands received a whopping 130% increase of visitors this year (3,578).

The number of tourists on New Year's Eve has increased significantly and authorities have improved order and safety for tourists. In terms of sanitation, the tourism director noted that many tourists properly disposed of waste, however, the sanitation department is still busy collecting garbage on the beach, showing a general lack of care for the environment. He also blamed user error for an increase of congestion on the Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway, saying that cars did not clearly understand how to use specific lanes and entrance ramps.

The Ministry of Public Works and Transport called on citizens to make more use of the Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) lanes and the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) lanes, which use digital technology and prepaid balances to prevent long waits at manual toll booths.