Gov. Bob McDonnell and 15 other Virginians embark today on an 11-day trade mission to Japan, China and South Korea.
Tucker Martin, director of communications for McDonnell, said the cost to taxpayers will be $278,000. The delegation will fly commercially.
At a news conference Thursday to call for offshore oil drilling, McDonnell said the state expects to announce several investments by foreign firms in Virginia during the trade mission.
"My goal is to sell Virginia," he said, citing its right-to-work law and regulatory climate.
He has a meeting scheduled with the president of South Korea, McDonnell said.
The Virginia entourage includes first lady Maureen McDonnell, Secretary of Commerce and Trade James Cheng, Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Todd P. Haymore and Virginia Tourism Corp. President Alisa Bailey.
Several officials with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership also will go.
The participants are scheduled to return May 17.
Last summer, McDonnell led a foreign trade trip to market Virginia to business interests in Ireland, Germany and the Netherlands.
A dozen people accompanied McDonnell on that trip, including two Cabinet secretaries, several economic-development officials, and Maureen McDonnell, who promoted the state's tourism and wine industries.
Administration officials said that trip was expected to cost the state about $89,600.
The governor's office released this list of trip attendees:
Secretary of Commerce and Trade James S. Cheng; Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Trade Peter Su, director of the Department of Business Assistance; Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Todd Haymore; Vince Barnett, communications and promotions director, Virginia Economic Development Partnership; Paul H. Grossman, Jr., international trade and investment director, Virginia Economic Development Partnership; Roy Dahlquist, managing director-Asia, Virginia Economic Development Partnership; Alisa Bailey, president and chief executive officer, Virginia Tourism Corp.; Diane Bechamps, marketing vice president, Virginia Tourism Corp.; Charles Green, marketing director, state Agriculture and Forestry Department. Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Trade Jimmy Rhee will join the group for the Korea and Shanghai portions of the trip.
Yutaka “Tommy” Okutomi, senior director, international investment–Japan of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership's Tokyo office will be part of the Japan tour and Hailey Fong, director, greater China–international trade and investment in the partnersehip's China office will participate in activities there.
The delegation also includes two members of the governor's security detail.
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