With the southwest monsoon having begun on June 7 onwards, the Ministry of Tourism has advised the Departments of Tourism in the capital and provinces and all travel agencies to pay close attention to the well-being of visitors.

In a notice, the ministry noted that from June 7-13, Cambodia will experience an inter-tropical convergence zone which will affect Thailand, Laos and Vietnam, combined with a moderate-to-high southwest monsoon.

The instruction followed a Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology forecast.

In the central lowlands, there may be moderate-to-high rainfall, including thunder storms and strong winds in the central and northwestern provinces. For low-lying capital and provinces, the rainfall may be slightly lower. In the highlands, there could be moderate-to-high rainfall, including thunder storms and high winds.

“Coastal areas may receive moderate-to-heavy rainfall over land and sea, including thunder and lightning, along with high seas,” the notice said.

In the central lowlands, minimum temperatures will be 23-25 ° C, with highs of 32-34 °C. In the highlands, minimum temperatures of 24-26 ° C are expected, with high temperatures of 30-32 ° C. Coastal areas will experience lows of 25-27 ° C, and highs of 30-32 ° C.

“Therefore, all tourism departments and travel agents must do their utmost to protect the safety of the Kingdom’s guests,” added the ministry.

Sok Chankrisna, director of the Koh Kong provincial Department of Tourism, said on June 9 that having received the ministry’s instructions, he will advise all hotels, guesthouses and travel agencies to caution visitors to coastal areas to exercise caution.

“When there are strong winds and high seas, the beaches can be dangerous. I will instruct them to caution visitors to be extra careful and ask them to avoid the ocean and beaches during stormy weather,” he added.

He continued that in the first five months of this year, Koh Kong province received more than 120,000 national and international visitors, up 17 per cent on last year’s figures.