OK2Roam
During the pandemic, David Tarsh founded OK2Roam, forging a partnership with Hans Christian Boos, the German tech entrepreneur, to use the latest technology to help people get back to travelling as they did before the pandemic.
David then signed an agreement between OK2Roam and VFS Global, the world's largest outsource provider of visa processing, to offer OK2Roam's technology solutions to VFS Global's government clients.
Independent discussions with the Ministry of Tourism & Public Health in Aruba (not a VFS client) inspired the creation of a new service, Verified Clear, which gave travellers to the Caribbean island a rapid passage through the airport on arrival, provided they procured a COVID-19 PCR test from a laboratory in the trusted network built up by VFS Global.
Minister of Tourism & Public Health, Aruba
OK2Roam created a secure data connection between the laboratories and Aruba’s border entry systems to feed travellers’ PCR test results automatically.
The advantage for travellers was swift and assured passage though the airport. The advantage for the Aruban government was more efficient processing of visitors, which saved time and money; plus, it improved biosecurity and airport capacity. It also helped the government of Aruba tackle the problem of people arriving with invalid or fake health credentials.
The launch of the new service brought considerable media attention to Aruba, generating over 140 positive news articles.
At the end of the pandemic, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) named Aruba as the winner of its Destination Resilience Award, "in recognition of destinations that used innovative, unique and timely responses to the global public health crisis". Aruba’s pioneering partnership with OK2Roam was cited as a major reason why Aruba was given the accolade.
