Melbourne Travel Counsellors and head office staff participated in the annual Melbourne Marathon on Sunday October 12, with the team of more than 10 representatives and their families taking part in support of a number of charities.

With events ranging from a three-kilometre walk to a half marathon, the event saw money and awareness raised for charities such as Alzheimer's Australia, with a barbeque lunch and drinks provided for participants following the races.

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has designed a new Family Getaway Package for families wanting to visit luxury destinations, which includes a number of hotel specials until February 28 2015.

The package allows one child can stay, eat and visit a local attraction for free as part of a deal with two parents, with locations including InterContinental Sydney and the Manly Sea Life Sanctuary, The Rialto in Melbourne along with the Eureka Skydeck, and even the InterContinental Bali Resort and the Elephant Park in Ubud.

Daydream Island Resort and Spa has won three awards at the recent Whitsunday Tourism & Business Awards 2014, held in Prosperine on Saturday night.

The property took out Best Tourist Attraction for the living reef, best Deluxe Accommodation and the People's Choice categories, with an induction into the Hall of Fame after its third consecutive win of the deluxe accommodation category. 

APT has revealed the first artist impressions of the interiors of RV Samatha, its new boutique rivership that features in its latest Burma River Cruising 2016/17 brochure.

The design showcases 30 suites, all positioned on the outside of the ship to ensure all guests have access to their own balcony, as well as a main restaurant whose interior has been based on local Asian designs and which will feature celebrity chef Luke Nguyen onboard. 

Travel Indochina has launched its 2015-16 Escorted Small Group Journey brochure and portfolio, which features a selection of new short itineraries for travellers with less time but who are still interested in exploring destinations.

These itineraries include ones like the seven-day 'Secrets of Southern Laos' and eight-day 'Southern Thailand Revealed' tours, with the launch accompanied by a 'second person flies free' deal available until October 31 on small group journeys of 14 days or more, travelling before December 7 and between January 16 and December 7 2015.

Travel agents in Australia have jumped at the chance to participate in Bench International's Safari School, with almost 100 people registering in the 48 hours following its launch last Friday, according to general manager Martin Edwards.

Since then, another 100 have signed up to the training platform, which provides agents with simple, informative procedures to enhance their knowledge on the African products through a series of five modules. Agents can read more about the training here. 

Mark Kammerer has been named vice president, international marketing and sales for Holland America Line and Seabourn.

Holland America Line’s senior vice president, global marketing and sales, Joe Slattery said, “Mark brings incredible knowledge and experience to this position, and his expertise supports the continued growth in our international presence.”

The Guinness World Record holder in Static Apnea, Branko Petrovic has taken a celebratory dive in The Ambassador Lagoon at Atlantis, The Palm. 

The Fazza Freediving Champion, broke the Guinness World Record on October 7th in Dubai setting the new world record at 11 minutes and 54 seconds. Branko was in town to attend The SPEARO Extreme Sports Expo.