What Andrew Barr says his Europe trade mission will do for Canberra

Chief Minister Andrew Barr says he wants several thousand more Canberrans employed in "knowledge-intensive industries" by 2030 and the ACT to attract hundreds of millions of dollars in investment after a trade mission to the UK and Germany.

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Chief Minister Andrew Barr. Picture by Keegan Carroll

Mr Barr said a two-year effort to give Canberra businesses better access to investors and innovation supports in the two countries would follow the trip.

"Our objective is clear: more high-value jobs, more private investment and more Canberra companies competing successfully in international markets," Mr Barr said.

Canberra Innovation Network chief executive Petr Adamek said the ACT needed to connect its world-class research and ambitious entrepreneurs with international markets.

"The ACT government's engagement with leading innovation ecosystems in Germany and the UK is an important step in opening these doors," Mr Adamek said.

"At the Canberra Innovation Network, we see significant opportunities to build on these relationships and help more knowledge-based businesses from Canberra turn their innovations into international commercial success."

A deal for a joint marketing campaign with Qatar Airways finalised during Mr Barr's $18,500 trip with VisitCanberra and Tourism Australia will promote holidays to the capital and support for daily flights between Canberra and Doha.

The ACT was also working on longer-term partnerships with other airlines to encourage more visitors from Europe and boost Canberra's international profile.

Mr Barr said the ACT was working to encourage international visitors to major events over the next decade - including the Rugby World Cup in 2027, the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in 2028, the Ashes Cricket Tour in 2029 and the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games - to add Canberra to their itinerary.

"Visitors from the UK and Europe typically travel across multiple states and territories during a single trip. Canberra is well placed to capture a greater share of that travel," he said.

Mr Barr, who is also the tourism minister, said the 2000 Sydney Olympics had shown the benefits of the event extended well beyond the host city.

"The 2032 games present a similar opportunity, and our focus is to ensure Canberra secures its share of that growth," he said.

"More visitor nights mean more customers for local hotels, restaurants, attractions and events, supporting jobs and economic growth across Canberra and the surrounding region."

The government's latest tourism strategy said the UK was the European market with the highest growth opportunity and was "critical to future aviation ambitions".

Total visitor spending in the ACT economy has grown from $2.3 billion a year in 2022 to $3.1 billion in 2024.

International visitors spend more than three times as much as domestic overnight visitors in the ACT, the government has said.

The Chief Minister also said the Canberra Innovation Network, the capital's universities, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the broader technology centre were central to the territory's economic future.

"The global trading environment is more uncertain and more competitive, and Canberra exporters need every advantage they can get," he said.

"We're working to give local companies that edge. Our objective is to enable innovative Canberra companies to have greater access to international markets, investment capital, commercial partnerships and research networks."

The trade mission included meeting leaders from the Hessian Ministry for Digitalisation and Innovation, Technologiepark Heidelberg, Heidelberg Innovation Park, Knowledge Quarter London, London & Partners, the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council, Austrade and Australian banks operating in Europe.

"Discussions with the Hessian Ministry for Digitalisation and Innovation focused on how Hesse's digital and innovation strengths could connect with Canberra's capabilities in cyber security, AI and quantum technologies," the government said.

Twelve ACT businesses in 2025-26 were exporting because of "essential support" received from the government's international engagement office, while 103 businesses received export development assistance.

"The surge in international travel and growing demand for overseas delegations have significantly increased the visitation of business and government officials to the ACT," the office's annual report said.

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