“It is a worrying fact of life in Thailand – and in many Asian countries – that many children do not wear helmets when travelling on motorcycles with their parents,” Goetz Bauer, general manager of the Hua Hin Marriott Resort & Spa explained.
Figures showed that less than 7 per cent of Thai children wear helmets when riding on motorbikes with their parents. This means that every day more than 93 per cent of Thai children across the country are risking their lives while travelling to and from school.
In order to address this alarming statistic, 14 of Hua Hin’s top hotels joined forces recently to organise the “Helmet Extravaganza” – a CSR event aimed at saving the lives of young people in Hua Hin and Prachuap Khiri Khan Province.
Hotels taking part in the initiative included Hyatt Regency Hua Hin, Hua Hin Marriott Resort & Spa, Hilton Hua Hin Resort & Spa, Sheraton Hua Hin Resort & Spa, InterContinental Hua Hin, Anantara Hua Hin Resort & Spa, Centara Grand Beach Resort & Villas Hua Hin, Dusit Thani Hua Hin, Chiva-Som International, Putahracsa Hua Hin, SO Sofitel Hua Hin, G Hua Hin Resort & Mall, Banyan The Resort Hua Hin, and Amari Hua Hin.
Bauer said there were many reasons for neglecting safety, but often it was simply that children do not have a helmet to wear.
“By donating more than 1,000 helmets to local students, we could be potentially saving the lives of 1,115 children. This is a truly incredible thought, and I can think of no more worthwhile activity to be part of,” Bauer added.
The extravaganza took part at The Wave, the large outdoor event venue at the Hyatt Regency in Hua Hin. An estimated 500 people attended, including schoolchildren, hotel representatives and members of the media.
These hotels also welcomed hundreds of local children for an entertaining event aimed at delivering the message of motorcycle safety.
The hotels as well as Hua Hin Palm Orchid Homes, Hua Hin Business Network, the Rotary Club of Royal Hua Hin and the Da Vinci International School donated the helmets to students, who later took part in fun activities such as painting and personalising their helmets.
“As we are the leading hotels in Hua Hin, we realise that we are playing a vital role in the corporate social responsibilities for our local community especially about the safety of children,” Christian Wurm, general manager of Hyatt Regency Hua Hin and The Barai, said.
“The combined CSR event by 14 hotels in Hua Hin is comprehensive proof to show that together we can make a bigger impact to save children’s lives in Hua Hin and Prachuap Khiri Khan province,” he said.