Tourists flocked to the nation’s coastal regions in greater numbers over the New Year holiday weekend, and most displayed a sense of environmental conscientiousness, utilising waste bins and other good habits to prevent rubbish from permeating public spaces.

Preah Sihanouk Provincial Administration spokesman Kheang Phearom said the number of tourists visiting on December 31 and January 1 rose by 15 per cent over the previous New Year to 74,923.

The 72,330 domestic tourists marked an increase of 39 per cent, but the 2,593 recorded international visitors represented a decrease of over 80 per cent.

Phearom noted that the revellers were mostly respectful of the environment and had made efforts to reduce the impact of their festivities.

“We notice that our citizens have been involved in cleaning up the coast, especially in terms of waste disposal. They had already collected waste packaging and other rubbish into proper receptacles,” he said.

Phearom said the diligence of residents and visitors in cleaning up after themselves was a good example for others and demonstrated an important understanding by the people in recognising and preserving the country’s natural beauty.

The government would pick up where the public left off, he said.

“Provincial authorities are continuing to improve procedures for beach clean-up. Our teams regularly deploy with vehicles and equipment for the purpose,” Phearom said.

He called on all tourists and residents to cooperate to ensure that beaches stay clean and the quality of the air and water is preserved, particularly around resorts and coastal regions.

Kuong Sok Kheang, a resident of Phnom Penh who visited the beach on New Year’s Eve, said that despite so many people having gathered and generated a lot of waste, the garbage had been organised in an orderly manner.

“It’s well done because on the New Year’s Eve, there were so many people and also so much rubbish, but in the morning – look at the beach – it’s so clean. The waste, even though it isn’t absent, is prepared neatly in piles,” she said.

Kep Provincial Hall’s head of administration Oeung Vuthy said there had been more than 50,000 tourists over the New Year and most were prepared and well organised. But given so many people, it was inevitable that some would not take proper care of their rubbish.

“Over the New Year holiday, many people visited the beach, and we see much rubbish leftover. Our residents are not especially well organised so some rubbish has fallen into the sea, but we have dispatched teams to collect all of the waste,” he said.

Vuthy said the provincial administration has protocols for maintaining orderly and hygienic beaches and coastal areas. The provincial administration has put bins in popular areas and has landfills in the city.

Koh Kong deputy provincial governor Sok Sothy said the total number of visitors over the holiday weekend had been 26,245, an increase of 3,635, or 16 per cent, over the previous year.

He said only 74 international visitors were recorded, a year-on-year drop of 8,370.

But he lamented a lack of understanding by some, saying: “Our citizens think that collecting rubbish or cleaning up the environment is the responsibility of the authorities or someone else but not their own. This is the general attitude of some people in Koh Kong province.”