– Fukuoka, Tokyo, Osaka, Da Nang, and Nha Trang topped overseas destinations, while Jeju, Busan, Seoul, Sokcho, and Gyeongju led domestic hotspots  

SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — With the Chuseok holiday around the corner, South Korean travelers are already making plans to make the most of the four-day break. According to digital travel platform Agoda, accommodation searches for international and domestic destinations have increased by 38% and 160%, respectively, compared to two weeks before the holiday period.

Based on accommodation searches made by South Korean travelers between May to mid-August 2026, Agoda found that Japanese destinations dominated the list of the most-searched overseas destinations for the Chuseok holiday. Fukuoka ranked first, followed by Tokyo and Osaka. Beyond Japan, Vietnamese destinations also proved popular, with Da Nang and Nha Trang rounding out the top five. The findings highlight South Korean travelers’ continued preference for short- and mid-haul destinations, where they can enjoy a combination of cultural experiences and seaside leisure.

Due to its proximity to South Korea with an average flight time of just 1.5 hours from Seoul, Fukuoka is one of the most accessible Japanese destinations for South Korean travelers. The destination is expected to become even more accessible with Eastar Jet’s expanded services on the Incheon–Fukuoka route through October 24, and the Busan–Fukuoka route from August 29 to October 24, covering the Chuseok holiday period.

For those making travel plans closer to home, Jeju ranked as the most-searched domestic destination, with a 131% increase in travel interest, followed by Busan (147%), Seoul (64%), Sokcho (324%), and Gyeongju (222%). Sokcho, which recorded the strongest growth in search interest among the top 5 domestic destinations, saw tourism expenditure by South Korean travelers increase by 8.2% year-on-year in the first half of 2026, according to the Korea Tourism Organization. The high growth in interest in Sokcho’, driven by its diverse mix of mountains, beaches, lakes, culinary experiences and cultural attractions, suggests that the destination could see continued visitor demand through the second half of the year, including during the Chuseok holiday period.

Gyeongju, which ranked fifth, continues to attract South Korean travelers with its historic sites and rich cultural heritage. The city’s appeal could be further boosted by expanded KTX and KTX-Eum services scheduled to begin in September, offering travelers improved rail connectivity during the autumn travel season.

Alex Park, Country Director, South Korea at Agoda shared, “As the Chuseok holiday approaches, South Korean travelers are showing strong interest in nearby destinations, with domestic travel seeing particularly strong demand. As a global travel platform, Agoda is committed to supporting travelers with diverse preferences by offering great deals on flights, accommodation, and activities, whether they are looking to explore destinations overseas or closer to home.”

As South Korean travelers finalize their Chuseok holiday plans, Agoda continues to offer a seamless booking experience across more than six million holiday properties, 130,000 flight routes, and 300,000 activities worldwide. To find the best deals for autumn travel to Asia and beyond, visit Agoda.com or download the Agoda mobile app. As part of Agoda’s August Mega Sale, travelers can enjoy up to 60% off on hotel bookings during the main sale through 31 August.

BERLIN, Sept. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — viaim today announced that viaim Rise, its AI Agent Earbuds, won Best in Audio and was named a Best in Design Honoree at the 2026 IFA Innovation Awards. The recognition highlights Rise’s combination of acoustic engineering, AI-assisted work features and a distinctive smart charging case.

The recognition at IFA 2026, one of the world’s most significant technology trade shows, validates viaim’s unique vision for the future of work. Following this successful unveiling in Berlin, viaim has confirmed that the viaim Rise will be available for global consumers via a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, launching on September 8, 2026, at 9:00 AM ET.

Beyond Audio: Listen. Think. Act.

viaim Rise combines premium wireless earbuds with an AI Agent workflow designed for everyday work. Built around Listen. Think. Act., Rise helps users capture conversations they choose to record, understand them in context and prepare next steps that remain under the user’s control.

Engineered for the modern professional, Rise supports user-initiated recording, transcription and translation for phone calls, in-person meetings and multilingual conversations, covering 78 languages and 145 accents. The system’s breakthrough lies in its ability to connect these recordings directly to project context, surface actionable insights, and hand off tasks—by voice—to the AI platforms users already rely on after the user confirms, such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.

Award-Winning Hardware Meets Intelligent Software

The dual IFA Innovation Awards reflect the product’s commitment to both sonic excellence and functional design. The ‘Best in Audio’ win acknowledges the product’s premium acoustic architecture. The viaim Rise features a powerful 11mm + 6mm dual-driver configuration, delivering Hi-Res Audio Wireless with LDAC and LHDC support. Coupled with an advanced ANC system featuring transparency and voice pass-through modes, the earbuds ensure high-fidelity sound, while a comprehensive multi-microphone array with bone-conduction VPU guarantees crystal-clear call quality, regardless of the environment.

At the same time, Vision Intelligence officially announced a partnership with Bose, a world-leading audio brand. viaim is working with engineers from Bose’s Audio Technology business to enhance the audio performance of viaim products. Working with Bose, viaim will leverage the company’s decades of technical expertise in active noise cancellation and acoustics to improve AI Agent hardware and enable robust perception and decision-making capabilities.

The ‘Best in Design’ honor recognizes the product’s innovative form factor: a unique dual-device ecosystem. When users press the two side latches, a mechanical structure raises the earbuds from the charging case—a physical expression of the Rise name. The smart charging case also serves as a recording entry point: with at least one earbud inside, users can start a recording without opening the case or reaching for a phone. When connected to a computer over USB-C, its three-microphone array can support desktop meeting capture through the viaim PC app.

Indiegogo Launch Details

The viaim Rise will officially go live on Indiegogo on September 8 at 9 AM ET.

• Super Early Bird Offer: Early backers can secure viaim Rise with a $259 pledge, compared with a planned MSRP of $399.
• Added Value: Every backer will receive a 3-month of the viaim Pro subscription for free, unlocking the complete potential of the AI Agent ecosystem.

“We are honored by the recognition from IFA,” said the viaim team. “Rise is built to move work forward. By merging professional-grade acoustic hardware with a sophisticated AI agent workflow, we are transforming the way professionals capture their ideas and execute their daily tasks.”

For those interested in experiencing the future of AI-powered productivity, join the Indiegogo campaign at https://www.indiegogo.com/en/projects/viaim/viaim-rise, or visit viaim’s official website at https://store.viaim.ai/ to learn more

About viaim

viaim develops AI-native hardware and intelligent agent services designed to help people capture information, understand context and move work forward. As of May 2026, viaim has served more than 1.5 million registered users across over 200 countries and regions worldwide.

Connected products understand and adapt to everyday needs

BERLIN, Sept. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Haier, the world’s No. 1 brand in major home appliances for 17 consecutive years*, showcased an AI-powered smart home ecosystem at IFA 2026 spanning garment care, refrigeration, cooking, entertainment, digital services and robotics. Under the theme “Home of Intelligent Possibilities,” the showcase demonstrates how connected appliances can evolve into a coordinated home that senses conditions, understands context, learns from user habits and adapts the way devices operate, creating a more intuitive and responsive experience at home.

AI That Adapts to Everyday Life

Across the portfolio, AI turns real-time information into practical adjustments. The Vision 15 washing machine uses an internal camera, sensors and algorithms to detect factors such as load size, balance and foam levels, and then adjust water levels, detergent dosing, drum movement and program settings. In refrigeration, the Maestro prototype brings several preservation technologies together. Its AI Food Care System 2.0 recognizes stored ingredients and recommends suitable conditions to help users manage food more effectively.

The ID Ultimate Series 6 oven applies the same approach to cooking. Its internal camera recognizes food, monitors cooking progress and can stop the program when the desired result has been reached. In the living room, UltraSense AI analyzes content and ambient conditions to adjust picture and sound on Haier Smart TVs in real time.

Together, these technologies extend AI into coordinated home scenarios across laundry, food care, cooking and entertainment. The hOn app brings Haier Europe’s connected products, services and home experiences together in a single digital environment, enabling them to work together around daily routines and translate connected technology into practical benefits at home.

This progression from individual products to coordinated home scenarios is already reaching users at scale. According to Euromonitor International, Haier Smart Home was recognized as the world’s No. 1 smart home enterprise based on global smart home revenue in 2025. Haier smart home platform has surpassed 130 million registered users worldwide and recorded 86.1 billion smart scene interactions in 2025.

Extending Intelligence Into Physical Interaction

Haier also showed how AI and embodied intelligence could translate smart home intelligence into physical tasks. The showcase featured humanoid robots interacting with appliances, robotic cleaning systems designed to recognize objects and different types of dirt, along with companion robots developed for voice assistance and personalized support.

The Haier Exoskeleton extended this theme beyond the home. Its sensors and algorithms interpret movement intentions in real time and adjust the assistance provided to each user, supporting mobility while preserving natural movement. Together, the demonstrations reflect Haier’s work to connect AI, appliances and robotics around practical human needs.

This technology portfolio is supported by Haier’s “10+N” open innovation system, which connects global research resources with local user insights. In the first half of 2026, Haier topped on IPRdaily’s global smart home invention patent list for the 15th consecutive time. Looking ahead, Haier plans to invest at least 13 billion euros over the next five years, with a focus on foundational technologies including artificial intelligence, semiconductors and IoT security to underpin its AI-native transformation.

Haier’s presence at IFA also highlights its global sports partnerships under the “Play with the Number Ones” concept, connecting the pursuit of excellence in sports with the brand’s focus on innovation, performance and better user experiences worldwide.

Visitors can experience Haier’s smart home technologies in Hall 3.1 at Stand 101 during IFA 2026 in Berlin from Sept. 4 to 8.

*Source: Euromonitor International Limited; Consumer Appliances 2026 Edition; % unit share, 2025 volume sales data

BERLIN, Sept. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Tuya Smart (NYSE: TUYA; HKEX: 2391), a global AI cloud platform service provider, is showcasing its latest advances in physical AI at IFA 2026 under the theme “Hey Tuya.”

Headlining the exhibit is the global debut of the new AI companion robot Doova, alongside the European debut of Tuya’s AI Home, AI Energy, and AI Robot ecosystems, the Hey Tuya whole-space intelligent interaction experience, a full-stack Matter portfolio, and development tools designed to help turn AI hardware concepts into working products.

The showcase illustrates how Tuya is connecting cloud intelligence, devices, and developer tools to move AI beyond screens and into practical use across homes, energy systems, robotics, pet care, and personal assistance.

Doova Extends Physical AI to Home Companionship and Assistance

Following the debut of Aura, Tuya’s AI companion robot for pets, Tuya is expanding its robotics portfolio with Doova, a home companion robot designed for independently living seniors to combine emotional companionship, everyday assistance, health-related reminders, and home monitoring. Doova is equipped with LDS LiDAR, sound source localization, and AI vision-based posture recognition algorithms.

Doova can respond to a simple voice request for help and navigate to the user’s location, assess their posture, and, if necessary, place a video call to family members. Day to day, it can hold conversations, play audio and video, help users understand complex bills and letters, flag potential fraud risks, and guide them through the operation of smart appliances. It can also provide medication, weather, and schedule reminders, along with practical suggestions related to meals, gardening, and clothing. When users are away, Doova can patrol the home and generate a security report.

Together, these capabilities demonstrate how physical AI can combine contextual awareness with connected-device control to support more responsive and accessible living experiences.

AI Home, AI Robot, and AI Energy Make Their European Debut

At IFA 2026, Tuya is presenting its AI Home, AI Robot, and AI Energy application ecosystems together in Europe for the first time, combined with the Company’s full-stack Matter solutions.

AI Home brings together a range of AI-powered devices, including an AI radar sleep speaker, AI printer, baby monitor, AI flower pot, and AI learning companion, extending AI capabilities into everyday scenarios such as home care, pet care, and plant care.

For example, the AI radar sleep speaker integrates millimeter-wave radar technology to accurately detect user activity and trigger adaptive smart home functions—such as automatically turning off the lights once the user falls asleep. It can also monitor heart rate, breathing, and snoring in real time to generate daily sleep analysis reports. In addition, built-in white noise, natural soundscapes, and meditation music help users relax and drift into sleep more easily.

The smart pet collar uses sensitive audio capture and AI-based emotion analysis to interpret changes in a pet’s vocalizations and breathing. The AI radar speaker combines natural-language control of connected devices with contactless radar sensing for heart rate, breathing, snoring, and sleep quality, alongside functions such as alarms, focus timers, and white noise.

AI Robot products span pet care, interactive collectibles, and desktop tools, including Aura, Fuzozo, Walulu, an AI owl, and an AI robot dog. Aura combines behavioral analysis and sound recognition to interpret a pet’s emotional state, while features such as laser play, treat dispensing, and simulated pet sounds support interactive companionship.

Tuya AI Energy connects balcony solar and storage, smart metering and distribution, and EV charging into a household energy network spanning generation, storage, measurement, management, and consumption. By integrating real-time and dynamic tariff data from more than 800 electricity providers and more than 1,000 dynamic tariff service providers across Europe, the system intelligently shifts household loads to help reduce overall energy costs, improving energy efficiency and reshaping the value proposition of home energy storage. The exhibit demonstrates how Tuya’s energy management capabilities coordinate infrastructure and connected devices across the home.

A Full-Stack Matter Portfolio for Interoperable Products

Tuya is also showcasing an end-to-end Matter portfolio spanning chip modules and cloud services. The offering supports Matter over Wi-Fi, Matter over Thread, and Ethernet, as well as bridges from Zigbee, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi to Matter. It covers product categories including gateways, central control panels, lighting, plugs, sensors, curtain motors, thermostatic radiator valves, locks, and cameras.

Beyond standard Matter capabilities, Tuya layers on distinctive features — remote management, energy tracking, music-synced lighting — and integrates ecosystem tools like Amazon Frustration-Free Setup and the Google Matter API — allowing products to achieve cross-platform interoperability while preserving a differentiated user experience.

Hey Tuya Coordinates the Connected Home through Natural Language

Built on a multi-agent collaborative architecture, Hey Tuya is designed to coordinate services and devices across everyday scenarios rather than operate as a single-device assistant. Users can issue natural-language commands such as “Turn on the dining room lights” or “I’m leaving — activate monitoring,” allowing multiple devices and scenes to respond together.

The experience centers on four capabilities: round-the-clock home security monitoring; energy analysis and personalized efficiency recommendations; natural-language control and automation across multiple devices; and personalized services that adapt to household routines and preferences.

Tuya plans to continue improving the reliability, response speed, and task execution of Hey Tuya, while exploring subscription and value-added services in areas such as energy optimization, pet care, and video understanding.

Developer Tools Shorten the Path from Concept to Working Hardware

Tuya’s developer showcase presents a full technology stack for AI hardware development, where visitors can experience firsthand how ideas can be rapidly turned into functional AI applications that interact with and enhance daily life through the TuyaOpen open-source framework, Tuya Cobuilder, and Tuya AI Coding.

Tuya Cobuilder is an end-to-end Physical AI Builder designed for AI hardware developers. By simply describing an AI hardware concept in natural language, users can complete the entire development workflow in one place, ultimately enabling the application to run directly on real hardware. Tuya AI Coding, the Company’s AI-native no-code application development platform, lets users turn ideas into AI-powered applications with a single prompt—enabling non-technical creators to become builders of AI-powered experiences.

By bringing AI applications, interoperable device infrastructure, and development tools into one ecosystem, Tuya aims to help its global AIoT developer ecosystem create practical AI products more efficiently. The Company will continue advancing AI Home, AI Energy, and AI Robot applications and collaborating with developers and partners to make intelligent living safer, more convenient, and more responsive to individual needs.

About Tuya Smart

Tuya Inc. (NYSE: TUYA; HKEX: 2391) is a leading global AI cloud platform service provider dedicated to bringing AI into everyday life. Through its TuyaOpen open-source development framework and universal AI Agent engines, including the AI Agent development platform, Tuya integrates multimodal AI capabilities to lower barriers for AI development, efficiently advancing the realization of AI-driven lifestyles and accelerating AI integration with the physical world. Tuya offers innovative physical AI solutions for smart devices, commercial applications, and industry developers through its cloud computing and spatial intelligence capabilities. It also provides a complete, open, and neutral global AIoT ecosystem.

As of June 30, 2026, the Tuya AI Developer Platform had over 2,092,000 registered AI developers from more than 200 countries and regions.

PATTAYA, Thailand, Sept. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — TPTP (Thailand Property Trading Platform) has officially launched and will hold its first offline event, the TPTP Empowerment Summit, in Pattaya on September 5, 2026. TPTP was founded by Nan Wang, in partnership with BigHousekeeper, the Bangkok- and Pattaya-based property services company he also leads.

The longer one works in real estate, the clearer a core problem becomes: it is not a lack of listings or buyer demand, but that listings, customers, agents and channels remain trapped in disconnected information silos. Some hold clients but can’t find matching listings; others hold inventory but can’t reach the right buyers. The result: transactions that should be simple become complicated.

TPTP says it was built to solve this problem. “We don’t just want to build a platform for selling homes,” the company said. “We want to reconnect listings, customers, agents, channels and services through verified listings, digital systems and AI-powered matching, making transactions more efficient and transparent, and partnerships smoother and more durable.”

TPTP describes its long-term vision as building a super-intelligent platform that precisely matches people and properties, so every client finds the right listing and every listing finds the right buyer.

The platform is built around five capabilities: verified, transparent listings; clear pricing and commissions; AI-assisted matching between agents and properties; agent training and support; and post-transaction property management. Its listing pool has reached ten-thousand-unit scale across Bangkok and Pattaya, backed by a bilingual service team.

BigHousekeeper, a property services company in Bangkok and Pattaya, is TPTP’s strategic partner in property sourcing and local services. Looking ahead, BigHousekeeper will sit under BigHousekeeper Group and TPTP under PTP Group, uniting the two groups in a stronger alliance.

Founder Nan Wang brings more than 26 years of experience in cross-border property and lifestyle services. TPTP’s roadmap centers on a tiered partnership structure for agents, owners and channel partners, with capital-market collaboration positioned as a long-term goal rather than a near-term commitment.

The September 5 summit will introduce TPTP’s platform to agents, property owners and channel partners, and is the first in an ongoing series of events across Thailand.

About TPTP

TPTP (Thailand Property Trading Platform) is a partnership and transaction platform for Thailand’s property agents, channel partners and owners, working alongside strategic partner BigHousekeeper in Bangkok and Pattaya, under the direction “Rooted in Thailand, Expanding Globally.”

Website: https://agent.stptp.com/ 

MISANO, Italy, Sept. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — evolve and ELITEWHEELS are showcasing their latest developments in high-performance cycling at Italian Bike Festival (IBF) 2026, taking place September 4–6 at Misano World Circuit. The brands are welcoming riders, media, industry professionals and cycling enthusiasts to Booth W3, where product innovation, professional racing experience and real-world riding come together.

At this year’s festival, evolve is presenting its latest performance cycling developments, built around a data-driven approach to weight, stiffness, aerodynamics and ride characteristics. The brand continues to develop its product portfolio with a focus on measurable performance and race-ready engineering, including its CIMA road and CIMA GR gravel platforms, while preparing further developments in other potential categories.

ELITEWHEELS , with more than 15 years of experience in high-performance carbon wheels, is highlighting its expertise in developing lightweight, aerodynamic and reliable wheel systems. Its products have been tested and ridden in competitive racing environments, including by UCI professional riders, reinforcing the brand’s long-term commitment to proven performance and reliability.

A key part of the IBF experience is the opportunity for visitors to hear directly from professional riders. On September 4, evolve and ELITEWHEELS hosted conversations with riders from their sponsored UCI teams, including experienced professional Domenico Pozzovivo and riders from Italian team MG.K Vis, discussing racing, equipment selection, training and performance. Following the sessions, selected products were also available for visitors to experience through test rides.

The response at the booth has provided an opportunity for the brands to engage directly with the European cycling community, with media, riders, dealers, and visitors visiting Booth W3 during the opening day. “For equipment choosing during grand tours, reliable is the most important thing, this is also what I see from Elitewheels” said Domenico Pozzovivo.

IBF 2026 also represents an important step in the brands’ continued development in Europe. Through local distribution partnerships, professional team collaborations, media engagement and direct rider experiences, evolve and ELITEWHEELS are strengthening their connections with cyclists and industry partners across key European markets.

Looking ahead, both brands will continue investing in product development, testing and European market support, with new R&D capabilities and further performance-focused products planned for the coming seasons.

Visitors attending IBF 2026 can find evolve and ELITEWHEELS at Booth W3 through September 6.

About evolve
evolve is a performance cycling brand focused on engineering-driven product development. Built on extensive expertise in carbon composite materials and bicycle manufacturing, evolve develops race-oriented frames and bicycles through data, testing and real-world rider feedback.

About ELITEWHEELS
With more than 15 years of experience in high-performance carbon wheels, ELITEWHEELS develops lightweight, aerodynamic and reliable wheel systems for cyclists ranging from everyday riders to competitive racers.