Barceló Hotels & Resorts appointed Alejandro Peralta to sales manager for the southeast region. Based in Miami, Peralta will be responsible for the sales and promotion of Barceló Latin American resorts to consumers and travel industry partners in the southeastern United States.

Have you given any thought to next year’s vacation plans? Not your plans, but those of your clients, friends and family? Most of them don’t realize it right now, but travel is about to get a lot more expensive.

About 30 U.S. travel organizations, including the American Society of Travel Agents, airline employee unions and other industry stakeholders, are lobbying British authorities to abandon plans to increase the Air Duty Passenger (APD) tax rate again.

Interval International, a prominent worldwide provider of vacation services and an operating business of Interval Leisure Group, has exceeded expectations with Club Interval GoldSM, a points-based exchange and membership program designed specifically for owners of fixed- or floating-week timeshares. Since the spring launch, 16 resort developer clients, representing 25 timeshare resorts, are selling the program and reporting measurable sales increases.

The highly regarded Westin St. Maarten Resort & Spa (www.Westin.com/St.Maarten) welcomes notable, 25-year industry veteran, Executive Chef Robert W. Reed to its culinary team.

As tourism in the U.S. slowly increases, Florida is outpacing the nation, Funjet Vacations reports. The average number of hotel rooms sold in Florida in the first half of 2011 is up 7 percent from 2010, which is higher than the national average. That’s why Funjet Vacations is launching its Florida Family Fun Sale, offering bonus savings, kids stay free and discounts on family-sized car rentals, Funjet says. Nearly 87 percent of visitors to Florida each year go for pleasure.