NASHVILLE (AP) — Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bob Rolfe are heading to Europe on state business.

A news release says the trip from Friday until May 11 aims to strengthen ties with European businesses and increase foreign direct investment in Tennessee.

The trip will include stops in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany, Austria and Italy.

Haslam and Rolfe will travel on the inaugural British Airways Flight from Nashville International Airport to Heathrow Airport in London. They will pitch a number of European businesses interested in setting up operations in the southeast U.S.

The state says there are more than 560 European-owned businesses that operate in Tennessee, employing approximately 71,000 Tennesseans.