Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has endorsed a newly developed indigenous digital platform that assists travelers book accommodation and other hospitality experiences influenced by local culture.
Osinbajo gave the endorsement in Abuja at the weekend during the Flagg off of the Aura by Transcorp.
Aura is Nigeria’s equivalent of Bookings.com which allows members of the public to make reservations for hotels, apartments, spas, restaurants, even photographers.
Osinbajo described the Aura application as an “excellent innovation” that would give a boost to the country’s hospitality industry.
Speaking of his experience on using the aura app which is owned and operated by Transcorp Hotels, Osinbajo said he “was quite intrigued by the concept of Aura. I actually went to the website to better acquaint myself with the service. I downloaded the app on my phone and on my iPad and I found the dashboard was quite easy to navigate”.
Of particular interest to him was the fact “there are copious offerings of hotels, short let apartments and restaurants and I have found the response interesting,”
While commending Transcorp Hotel for coming up with the Aura app, the Vice President noted that “the unique offering here is that Transcorp Hotel is putting its huge reputation behind helping customers choose the best accommodation. I think this is great and it will help revive the hospitality industry especially after the downturn in the aftermath of COVID-19”.
“I would like to commend the Transcorp team led by my brother and the man of many ideas, Tony Elumelu.”
Also speaking at the event, Dupe Olusola, chief executive officer (CEO) of Transcorp Hotels, said “Aura will create jobs and help diversify the country’s economy”.
According to her, “Aura is a digital hospitality platform that gives people the opportunity, at the touch of their fingertips, to book exciting accommodations, restaurants, spas and other hospitality derivatives at all locations in Nigeria”, Olusola said.
She stated that “Aura is an opportunity to diversify our economy, it is an opportunity to create jobs and employment, an opportunity to develop domestic tourism and leisure travel. There is nothing that has been done like this before in Nigeria and our plan is to go beyond and to Africa and take on the world”.
Aura App she explained will be helpful to “so many people that have invested in real estate and have left it fallow and are not actually making money from it. Aura provides an opportunity for you to list your property and be able to make money from it.”