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Times
4 days ago
- Business
- Times
The bargain last-minute getaway does still exist — here's how to do it
Have you booked your summer holiday yet? If not, you're probably one of those ice-cool types with the discipline to wait until the very last minute to get the best deal. This year, though, according to the travel trade, getting that late bargain hasn't been so easy. A report in the industry journal Travel Trade Gazette (TTG) warned that the late bookings market 'is fracturing as value-conscious consumers with unrealistic budgets and expectations clash with higher holiday prices'. Travel agents from all over the UK told TTG that the public seemed unaware that holiday prices had gone up, and that, this summer, they weren't coming down again as the sell-by date approached. That, it says, is leading to shock and disappointment on the high street. According to Gillian Polyhos, a co-owner of Olive Lounge Travel in Keighley, West Yorkshire, 'There's still a myth around last-minute holidays that prices are always good. That is not the case.' Holiday prices have indeed gone up — and by a significant amount in some destinations. Data compiled by TravelSupermarket shows that the average price of a seven-night all-inclusive holiday for a family of four has risen by 12 per cent in Greece (up from £926pp in August 2024 to £1,038pp this month), 15 per cent in Turkey (from £874pp to £1,003pp) and 23 per cent in Cyprus (from £950pp to £1,166pp). The UAE is even worse, up by 26 per cent, from an average of £1,210pp last August to £1,525pp. 'British holidaymakers are experiencing year-on-year price increases that reflect the inflationary pressures affecting virtually every sector of the UK economy, ' explains Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of the agency consortium Advantage Travel Partnership. 'These increases simply keep pace with the broader cost of doing business and reflect the reality of higher operational costs, from increased energy bills affecting hotels to elevated food costs impacting restaurants and rising wages across the hospitality sector.' And with prices up so much since last August, any discounted price you find now could still be more than the full price last summer. But I've found out that what's left of the season is nowhere near as gloomy as the trade says, and that there are plenty of late bargains if you know where to look. First off, just because it isn't sold as a last-minute bargain does not mean a holiday has not been discounted. At the beginning of the year I looked at the prices of package holidays advertised in January for a week in June. Last week I checked how much the same packages were for departures this month, and found that the median cost of a week's all-inclusive in a four or five-star hotel in the Canary Islands had dropped from £1,473pp to £1,223pp. In January I also recorded the price of a week for a family of four in holiday homes across France. Checking last week I found that the median price had dropped 20 per cent in the Vendée, 22 per cent in the Hérault and 32 per cent in the Var. This suggests that booking a high-season holiday at short notice is cheaper than booking a shoulder-season trip six months in advance, so whatever the trade says, you can still find a great deal if you take it to the wire. Here's a list of the best deals I've found for departures between this Friday and mid-September. Get 45 per cent off an all-inclusive seven-night stay in a family suite at the Mirage Bleu in Zante, departing from Gatwick on August 19. Or you could opt for 38 per cent off a week's B&B at the Iliada Odysseas Hotel on Santorini, down from £1,217pp to £749pp, departing from Stansted on August 17 ( On Kos there's 25 per cent off a week's B&B at the Kouros Palace Hotel — now £572pp — departing from Gatwick on September 10 ( Prefer a better than half-price villa? On Corfu the Olga Apartment, sleeping two and 300 yards from the beach at Aghios Gordios, was £1,438pp and is now £559pp — a saving of 61 per cent including flights — for 14 nights, departing from Gatwick on August 25. • 18 of the best all-inclusive hotels in Corfu On Paxos the cost of a 14-night stay at the Agathi apartment at Loggos Mills, also sleeping two but with a pool and car hire, has been halved from £2,025pp to £1,019pp, including flights and departing from Gatwick on August 25 ( • Read our full guide to Greece The cheapest late deal I've found is a week's room-only at the Gazipasa Star Hotel in Side. With bingo, barbecue nights and traditional Turkish entertainment promised, it may not be to all readers' tastes, but you can't deny that it's a bargain at £202pp for seven nights, departing from Bristol on September 1. The five-star option with EasyJet Holidays is the Anda Barut in Didim near Bodrum, down from £3,308pp to £1,764pp for seven nights' premium all-inclusive, departing from Luton on August 30. Save £708pp on a seven-night group voyage by yacht down the Amalfi coast, visiting Sorrento, Capri, Pompeii and Ischia on a trip that was £2,429pp and is now £1,721,pp, including some meals, departing August 30 ( Fly to Naples. Tui has knocked 33 per cent off a week at the four-star Hotel Paradiso Terme Resort & Spa in Ischia, now £832pp for seven nights' B&B, departing from Gatwick on August 15. And there's a 20 per cent discount on a last-minute week at Archipettoli, a 13th-century Tuscan villa sleeping 12 with a huge pool and a dolce vita dining terrace. From £1,098pp, including flights, departing on August 16. • Read our full guide to Italy Don't forget to shop around. EasyJet Holidays' whopping 50 per cent off a week's B&B in late August at the SO/Sotogrande Spa & Golf Resort on the Costa del Sol sounds like a steal — down to £1,142pp from £2,176pp — but BA Holidays can do the same for £1,008pp, which is 53 per cent off. It departs from Gatwick on August 29. • 19 of the best family hotels in Spain For last-minute villa deals check Solmar, where the biggest bargain I found was the Villa Jessica in Calpe on the Costa Blanca, sleeping 14 with a pool, and down 33 per cent from £4,097 for the entire property to £2,766, departing on August 23. • Read our full guide to Spain
Business Wire
16-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
First Smart Home Full-Link Ecosystem Launched
GUANGZHOU, China--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On July 8, 2025, Heungkong Group and Tantron Group (TTG) co-hosted the Global Smart Ecosystem Summit (GSES) in Guangzhou, unveiling a historic leap for the smart home sector. The summit highlighted three industry-first breakthroughs: the world's inaugural interoperable, multi-protocol, and multi-scenario full-link smart ecosystem; unprecedented collaboration among 20+ global top-tier brands; and the launch of the Global Smart Ecosystem Initiative, a consensus-based framework endorsed by industry leaders. Ending Silos: Universal Gateway Technology Breaks Compatibility Limits For years, fragmented standards and protocol incompatibility have stifled smart home innovation. Heungkong Group, TTG, and global giants—including Switzerland's V-ZUG, Germany's Gaggenau, and Japan's Panasonic—have now broken the deadlock with their Universal Gateway technology. The solution bridges Matter, PLC, and Zigbee protocols, enabling real-time, cross-brand device synchronization. TTG founder Yao Minghai compared the system to a "polyglot translator", allowing devices that "speak different languages" to work seamlessly together. Tan Jianrong of the Chinese Academy of Engineering called the shift from single-device intelligence to full-link ecosystem intelligence a "transformative leap"—paralleling the evolution from feature phones to smartphones. Heungkong No.1: World's First Ecosystem Demonstration Project Launches The Heungkong No.1 project has established three industry-firsts: cross-brand scenario-level device integration; full-lifecycle smart home service platform; and deep AI self-learning integration into home ecosystems. This innovation sets a new global standard for smart living. Mei Hing Chak, Chairwoman of Heungkong Group, stated, "We've combined German Industrie 4.0 precision, Swiss craftsmanship, and Chinese innovation to create a new future for smart living." Xu Xiaojian from Gaggenau announced the brand's first-ever full-link ecosystem integration, with dual support for Matter and Heungkong No.1 protocols. Driving Global Standards: China's Vision Gains International Backing The summit achieved unprecedented global alignment: Yves Leterme, former Belgian Prime Minister and Honorary Dean of Heungkong No.1 Future Life Art Institute, publicly endorsed the initiative; V-ZUG launched weekly technical exchanges with Chinese partners—a first for the Swiss manufacturer; while ASKO celebrated the collaboration as " Nordic engineering meets next-generation Chinese platform design ". More than 20 heritage brands—including Gaggenau, V-ZUG, ASKO, and Panasonic—jointly unveiled the Global Joint Initiative on Full-Link Smart Home Ecosystems. The China-proposed framework establishes 10 principles addressing interoperability, user data ownership, and sustainable technology. Professor Jin Sheng, AI ethics authority, highlighted its integration of "transparency, controllability, and explainability"—calling it "essential for ethical AI advancement."
Korea Herald
13-07-2025
- Business
- Korea Herald
World's First Full-Link Smart Home Ecosystem Debuts in Guangzhou
GUANGZHOU, China, July 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On July 8, 2025, Heungkong Group and Tantron Group (TTG) co-hosted the Global Smart Ecosystem Summit (GSES) in Guangzhou, unveiling a historic leap for the smart home sector. The summit highlighted three industry-first breakthroughs: the world's inaugural interoperable, multi-protocol, and multi-scenario full-link smart ecosystem; unprecedented collaboration among 20+ global top-tier brands; and the launch of the Global Smart Ecosystem Initiative, a consensus-based framework endorsed by industry leaders. This milestone cements China's shift from follower to frontrunner in smart home innovation. Ending Silos: Universal Gateway Technology Breaks Compatibility Limits For years, fragmented standards and protocol incompatibility have stifled smart home innovation. Heungkong Group, TTG, and global giants—including Switzerland's V-ZUG, Germany's Gaggenau, and Japan's Panasonic—have now broken the deadlock with their Universal Gateway technology. The solution bridges Matter, PLC, and Zigbee protocols, enabling real-time, cross-brand device synchronization. TTG founder Yao Minghai compared the system to a "polyglot translator", allowing devices that "speak different languages" to work seamlessly together. Tan Jianrong of the Chinese Academy of Engineering called the shift from single-device intelligence to full-link ecosystem intelligence a "transformative leap"—paralleling the evolution from feature phones to smartphones. Heungkong No. 1: World's First Ecosystem Demonstration Project Launches The Heungkong No.1 project has established three industry-firsts: cross-brand scenario-level device integration; full-lifecycle smart home service platform; and deep AI self-learning integration into home ecosystems. This innovation sets a new global standard for smart living. Mei Hing Chak, Chairwoman of Heungkong Group, stated, "We've combined German Industrie 4.0 precision, Swiss craftsmanship, and Chinese innovation to create a new future for smart living." Xu Xiaojian from Gaggenau announced the brand's first-ever full-link ecosystem integration, with dual support for Matter and Heungkong No.1 protocols. Driving Global Standards: China's Vision Gains International Backing The summit achieved unprecedented global alignment: Yves Leterme, former Belgian Prime Minister and Honorary Dean of Heungkong No.1 Future Life Art Institute, publicly endorsed the initiative; V-ZUG launched weekly technical exchanges with Chinese partners—a first for the Swiss manufacturer; while ASKO celebrated the collaboration as " Nordic engineering meets next-generation Chinese platform design ". More than 20 heritage brands—including Gaggenau, V-ZUG, ASKO, and Panasonic—jointly unveiled the Global Joint Initiative on Full-Link Smart Home Ecosystems. The China-proposed framework establishes 10 principles addressing interoperability, user data ownership, and sustainable technology. Professor Jin Sheng, AI ethics authority, highlighted its integration of "transparency, controllability, and explainability"—calling it "essential for ethical AI advancement." In a virtual keynote, former Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović noted, "Heungkong No.1 proves true progress isn't about technology alone, but humanity's wisdom in wielding it—not merely a market opportunity, but the evolution of civilization."
The Wire
12-07-2025
- Business
- The Wire
World's First Full-Link Smart Home Ecosystem Debuts in Guangzhou
GUANGZHOU, China, July 12, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On July 8, 2025, Heungkong Group and Tantron Group (TTG) co-hosted the Global Smart Ecosystem Summit (GSES) in Guangzhou, unveiling a historic leap for the smart home sector. The summit highlighted three industry-first breakthroughs: the world's inaugural interoperable, multi-protocol, and multi-scenario full-link smart ecosystem; unprecedented collaboration among 20 global top-tier brands; and the launch of the Global Smart Ecosystem Initiative, a consensus-based framework endorsed by industry leaders. This milestone cements China's shift from follower to frontrunner in smart home innovation. Ending Silos: Universal Gateway Technology Breaks Compatibility Limits For years, fragmented standards and protocol incompatibility have stifled smart home innovation. Heungkong Group, TTG, and global giants—including Switzerland's V-ZUG, Germany's Gaggenau, and Japan's Panasonic—have now broken the deadlock with their Universal Gateway technology. The solution bridges Matter, PLC, and Zigbee protocols, enabling real-time, cross-brand device synchronization. TTG founder Yao Minghai compared the system to a "polyglot translator", allowing devices that "speak different languages" to work seamlessly together. Tan Jianrong of the Chinese Academy of Engineering called the shift from single-device intelligence to full-link ecosystem intelligence a "transformative leap"—paralleling the evolution from feature phones to smartphones. Heungkong No. 1: World's First Ecosystem Demonstration Project Launches The Heungkong No.1 project has established three industry-firsts: cross-brand scenario-level device integration; full-lifecycle smart home service platform; and deep AI self-learning integration into home ecosystems. This innovation sets a new global standard for smart living. Mei Hing Chak, Chairwoman of Heungkong Group, stated, "We've combined German Industrie 4.0 precision, Swiss craftsmanship, and Chinese innovation to create a new future for smart living." Xu Xiaojian from Gaggenau announced the brand's first-ever full-link ecosystem integration, with dual support for Matter and Heungkong No.1 protocols. Driving Global Standards: China's Vision Gains International Backing The summit achieved unprecedented global alignment: Yves Leterme, former Belgian Prime Minister and Honorary Dean of Heungkong No.1 Future Life Art Institute, publicly endorsed the initiative; V-ZUG launched weekly technical exchanges with Chinese partners—a first for the Swiss manufacturer; while ASKO celebrated the collaboration as " Nordic engineering meets next-generation Chinese platform design ". More than 20 heritage brands—including Gaggenau, V-ZUG, ASKO, and Panasonic—jointly unveiled the Global Joint Initiative on Full-Link Smart Home Ecosystems. The China-proposed framework establishes 10 principles addressing interoperability, user data ownership, and sustainable technology. Professor Jin Sheng, AI ethics authority, highlighted its integration of "transparency, controllability, and explainability"—calling it "essential for ethical AI advancement." In a virtual keynote, former Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović noted, "Heungkong No.1 proves true progress isn't about technology alone, but humanity's wisdom in wielding it—not merely a market opportunity, but the evolution of civilization." (Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with PRNewswire and PTI takes no editorial responsibility for the same.). This is an auto-published feed from PTI with no editorial input from The Wire.
Borneo Post
11-07-2025
- Health
- Borneo Post
Sarawak launches digital system to streamline homeless support at TTG Kuching
Fatimah speaks to reporters while Tan (left) and Hilmy (right) look on. – Photo by Aileen Yap KUCHING (July 11): Sarawak has rolled out the Integrated Social Management System (ISMS) at the newly launched Kuching Temporary Transit Centre (TTG), enabling multi-agency collaboration to provide swift, coordinated, and dignified support for the city's homeless population. State Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister, Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah, said ISMS digitally stores each individual's background, medical records, and support history, allowing seamless data sharing and intervention across departments. 'This system allows for real-time profiling and data sharing, from health screenings and referrals to job-matching and welfare assistance,' she told reporters after launching the TTG Kuching today. She describing it as a 'seamless and dignified' solution to a complex social issue. Developed to strengthen the TTG model in Sarawak, ISMS ensures that every homeless individual admitted to the centre is screened, referred for hospital treatment if needed, and matched with suitable assistance, including mental health support or referrals to the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) in cases involving substance abuse. Fatimah said ISMS allows agencies such as the Social Welfare Department, Health Department, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and enforcement bodies to coordinate effectively, with full documentation and tracking for each case. 'With ISMS, we can ensure that no one falls through the cracks. 'Every person has a profile, and every intervention is recorded,' she said. She emphasised that TTG Kuching is more than just a temporary shelter – it serves as a structured reintegration platform aimed at helping individuals return to society with dignity and independence. 'Residents at the centre will undergo health screenings by the Health Department, receive counselling, and be assessed for their interests and skills. 'Those deemed fit will be matched with training and employment opportunities,' she said. Fatimah added that for the elderly and persons with disabilities (PwD), the Social Welfare Department would step in to secure financial aid and support services tailored to their needs. 'What we want is for them to eventually leave TTG and live independently and with dignity,' she said.
