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the roundup

The latest openings and events from around the world.

On the ground

It will be no Sheilas allowed when Australian beer company XXXX launches its private men-only island retreat this October. Now known as Pumpkin Island, the six-hectare island on the southern Great Barrier Reef is to be renamed XXXX island. The brewer plans to send groups of four mates, selected through promotional events, to have exclusive use of the island and its five beach cottages. Possible improvements under consideration include a one-hole golf course and an "ingenious beer-delivery system."

At immigration

The days of flying off to the Dominican Republic with a driver's licence and a birth certificate are about to end. As of May 1, Canadian visitors will have to present a valid passport. They must also be in possession of a return airline ticket. The Dominican Republic was the fifth most-visited destination for Canadians in 2010, according to Statistics Canada. Leading it, in order, were the United States, Mexico, Cuba and the United Kingdom.

In the air

Light is the new weapon in the war on jet lag. Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport has installed three light-therapy pods in terminal 2E. They purportedly reduce jet lag and chase away winter blahs. Travellers can use them for 15 minutes for free. Meanwhile, Finnair will make bright-light headsets available for free to business-class passengers on its Helsinki-Shanghai route during April. After that the sets go on sale. According to the airline, the sets channel bright light into the brain through the ear canal.



Sources: Dominican Republic Embassy, airlinetrends.com, Herald Sun



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