PHUKET’S very first donkey, Helga, is now a proud mum having given birth to a bouncing baby called Lola, who was born on Koh Maphrao and now lives with her mother and auntie Olga under the watchful eye of retired Swiss couple Norbert and Jacqueline Erni.

OUTRIGGER Enterprises Group, already established on Phuket with Outrigger Serenity Terraces in the south of the island, will soon be increasing its local presence following the announcement that the group has been selected to manage a new luxury collection on the northwestern coast of the island.

A thousand additional tourists a week will be whisked into Phuket on four new non-stop flights from Helsinki, courtesy of Finnair Leisure. Starting this November, the Scandinavian carrier will be loading up four of their new Airbus A330 wide-bodied planes with passengers seeking a more comfortable and convenient trip to the Pearl of the Andaman.

Phuket’s charms have again helped the Kingdom build stronger international trade relations. Following weeks of intense negotiations, representatives from the world’s two biggest rice exporters, Thailand and Vietnam, came to Phuket to sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that will enable the two countries establish a joint rice-export price.