The winner of CARIRI's Augmented Reality/ Virtual Reality competition is inviting investors to come on board with her.
On Friday CARIRI announced Arielle du Quesnay as the winner at a function held at its Freeport Innovation Centre.
Du Quesnay got $40,000 in startup capital and $20,000 in equipment.
Du Quesnay said her product is an AR gaming app that merges tourism, digital and AR advertising to stir tourism development and marketing locally.
Du Quesnay said she is looking for investors who would share in the profits.
She said the app is similar to Pokemon Go and would allow the user to collect digital AR stars throughout T&T for which they would redeem to collect prizes.
She said the app would earn money through AR advertising and would boost tourism in several places in T&T where the app takes users.
Du Quesnay, 30, a resident of Trincity, said she started three years ago and began with destination marketing.
She said the idea for the app came to her during the COVID-19 lockdown. Du Quesnay said when CARIRI came up with the competition in November 2020 she immediately jumped to the challenge.
Du Quesnay was chosen from a field of 83 contestants.
In October 2020 du Quesnay won another competition hosted by Caribbean Pivot Movement when she submitted yet another app entitled Roam Caribbean.
Du Quesnay is completing her Master's Degree in Tourism at the UWI, St Augustine and is the full-time creative manager at Connect Media Advertising.
Meanwhile, Senator Hassel Bacchus, Minister in the Ministry of Public Administration and Digital Transformation, told the gathering the world of AR/VR has become a staple in many sectors because of COVID.
Bacchus said AR/VR is very important to the tourism sector which can add to the educational and cultural experience for visitors.
He said AR/VR could be incorporated in Carnival and any sector.
“There is so much you can do,” he said.
