Chief Minister Andrew Barr will lead an eight-day trade mission to Germany and the UK aimed at attracting investment, boosting tourism and expanding Canberra’s international business links.

The trip continues a long-running program of international trade missions led by Mr Barr. In the 2023-24 reporting period he led missions to NZ, the US and India and Singapore.

This year Mr Barr led a six-day mission to India in February, focused particularly on international students, tourism and aviation links, and  a mission to Vietnam in July.

The latest mission will include meetings with government, investors, airlines, technology companies and artificial intelligence specialists in Germany and Britain.

Mr Barr will also meet Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines as the government seeks to build demand for international flights to Canberra.

Qatar Airways is due to return to Canberra in December, while the government continues to pursue the return of direct Singapore Airlines services.

In Britain, Mr Barr will meet the Greater London Authority and Canberra-founded companies Castlepoint Systems and QuintessenceLabs, and attend an investment event hosted by the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council.

The government says the mission will target opportunities in technology, infrastructure, research, education, tourism and aviation.

The UK is Canberra’s third-largest international visitor market, accounting for about 10 per cent of the ACT’s 179,000 international visitors in the year to June. The government wants to attract an additional 2500 visitors a year from the UK and Europe by 2030.

In Germany, the mission will meet the government of the central-west state of Hesse. The visit comes days after the ACT government called for the federal parliament to support the new Australia-European Union Free Trade Agreement. The government says the agreement would open further opportunities for ACT businesses, universities and researchers.

Mr Barr’s participation in the mission is expected to cost about $18,500, paid from the existing ACT Executive budget. The final cost will be included in quarterly ministerial travel reports.

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