In a way, 2006 began with terribly for Thailand's Koh Samui. News reports of the rape and killing of 21-year-old Briton tourist on Koh Samui's Lamai Beach was splashed over the world's major newspapers. THe news was a bad shock for all because Koh Samui has been touted as a tourists paradise by many.

Over the next few days, the world watched as the culprits were arrested, given trial and sentenced to death, all in record breaking time. At the same time, Thai authorities gave assurance that security will be beefed up.

The quick response from Thai authorities was essentially more for economic reasons than any others. That's when you consider that tourism contributes about 6 percent to the country's gross domestic product. So when bad press appear, Thai authorites are pressed to respond and salvage the damage on such an important industry. The Asia-Pacific Tsunami and its aftermath gave a good indication of the importance of tourism to Thailand.

As the world recover from the shock of the Asia-Pacific Tsunami, tourists have began flocking back to Thailand's sandy beaches and mega malls again, bringing hope to an economy that's heavily dependent on tourism. Unfortunately, as tourists numbers increase, crime against tourists also starts to climb. Most crimes against tourists are mostly petty crimes, such as lifting of passports and wallets, and scams to trick tourists into buying worthless stones and antiques. I myself was a victim of such a scam before.

But for all the hazards and occasional bad press, Thailand is really a very amazing and wonderful destination to visit. In fact, it is rated a much safer destination than most countries in Latin America and Africa. At the end of the day, its tourists' attitudes that matters most.

In fact, during my last visit to Bangkok, I had a relatively safe and fun trip (safe for the gem scam which wasted some of my time, but a lesson well learnt). Perhaps its because we applied the usual tourists advice to practice. For one, we avoided dark alleys and always walk in a big group. We were careful to conceal and disperse our valuables (My girlfriend kept our passports and spare cash in a waist poach that we carry everywhere we went). Most importantly, we partied and drank moderately.

Its actually illegal for pubs and nightclubs to open beyond 2am in the morning. However not all pubs and nightclubs follow this legislation. And trouble often start brewing at this time of the day, when mix of drink and drugs with some hot tempers are thrown in the mix.

At the end of the day, all it takes for a safe trip is common sense!