Female tourists in Phuket getting safety whistles

Sadly, two days ago a 27 year old Swedish woman, Hannah Charlotta Backlund, was killed in broad daylight when she was stabbed in the back on Mai Khao beach, on the northern tip of Phuket, Thailand. As MSNBC reports, such an event calls for action and Thailand’s Tourism Industry announced Monday that female tourists to the island will be given safety whistles to blow in the event of an emergency.

The whistles will take the form commonly used to represent women — a circle above a cross — and can be worn around the neck. The hope is that they will allow females in trouble to call out for help. An increase of security guards around the island as well as public safety manuals are also part of the new plan to better secure the island that is so popular with tourists to Thailand.

As a woman, this case gets to me personally, but it also raise the question of general travel safety. What are your best tips for staying safe while traveling?