Digital
Booking.com reveals top Republic Day weekend getaways
Mumbai: With Republic Day around the corner, Indians are making the most of this three-day extended weekend to plan their getaways as they hit the roads and the skies. Booking.com share insights into the preferred travel destinations for Indian travellers this Republic Day.
Some of the popular destinations for the long weekend include beach destinations like Puducherry, Goa and Alibaug and leisure hotspots like Jaipur, Udaipur, Mahabaleshwar, Ooty and Lonavala, within convenient proximity to major cities. As per Booking.com’s search data, travellers are also searching for closer-to-home international hotspots such as Dubai, Singapore and Bangkok.
Commenting on the same, Booking.com country manager for India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia Santosh Kumar said, “2024 has many long weekends presenting a significant opportunity for the travel and hospitality industry to cater to the growing traveller demand and capitalising on this trend. The upcoming Republic Day falling on a Friday this year, has ignited a search in travel demand as Indians eagerly plan to make the most of the long weekend. We are seeing demand come in from couples followed by groups and families. In addition to hotels and resorts, we are seeing Indians opting for alternative accommodations such as homestays, guest houses, apartments and villas for their stay. With travellers indulging in short breaks, exploring destinations near and far, Booking.com is committed to enhancing the traveller experience and making it easier for everyone to experience the world.”
Top searched destinations by Indians travelling domestically for the long weekend (January 26 to January 28, 2024)
Puducherry
Mumbai
Jaipur
Udaipur
Mahabaleshwar
Bengaluru
Ooty
Lonavala
Goa
Alibaug
Top searched international destinations by Indians travelling for the long weekend (January 26 to January 28, 2024)
Dubai
Singapore
Bangkok
Paris
Phuket
London
Hanoi
Kuala Lumpur
Ho Chi Minh City
Tokyo
Top searched accommodation types by Indian travellers travelling within India for the long weekend (26 January to 28 January 2024)
Hotel
Resort
Homestay
Guest House
Apartment
Indian Traveller Demographic travelling for the long weekend (26 January to 28 January 2024)
Couple
Group
Family
Solo
Methodology
The data scientists at Booking looked at the most popular destinations in India and Globally, accommodations searched in India and the travel demographics based on booking data by Indian travellers for search sessions between 15-12-2023 and 15-01-2024 and check-in dates between 2024-01-26 and 2024-01-28.
Digital
OpenAI’s Stargate lead Peter Hoeschele exits with two senior leaders
Trio behind compute push set to join new startup amid leadership reshuffle
SAN FRANCISCO: Peter Hoeschele, a key figure behind OpenAI’s early Stargate data centre initiative, has exited the company, according to a report by The Information.
The departure is part of a broader leadership shift, with two other senior executives, Shamez Hemani and Anuj Saharan, also set to leave in the coming days. All three are expected to join the same new startup, although details about the venture remain under wraps.
The trio played a central role in OpenAI’s Stargate effort, an initiative aimed at building large-scale data centre capacity in-house to reduce reliance on external infrastructure providers. Their exits mark a notable moment for the company’s compute strategy as it continues to scale rapidly.
OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement to The Information, “We’re grateful for the contributions Peter, Shamez, and Anuj have made to OpenAI and wish them the very best in what comes next.” The company also pointed to the recent appointment of Sachin Katti to lead its industrial compute organisation, signalling continuity in its infrastructure roadmap.
OpenAI has indicated that it does not plan to directly replace Hoeschele’s role, suggesting a possible restructuring of responsibilities within the team.
As competition intensifies in the race to build next-generation AI systems, leadership changes in core infrastructure teams are likely to draw close attention. For now, the spotlight shifts to what this departing trio builds next, and how OpenAI adapts as it scales its ambitions.
