Gov. Nathan Deal announced today from Qingdao, China, that TravelSky Technology Limited will open a research and development center in Duluth to expand its work in the travel and tourism industries. The company is making a $10 million investment in Georgia and creating 50 jobs.

“Georgia is absolutely the right place for innovative technology companies like TravelSky to grow and find success,” said Deal. “We have a longstanding commitment to cultivating technology growth in the state and an arsenal of resources to make it happen, including a highly-educated workforce and access to top-notch university research.”

Headquartered in Beijing, TravelSky is the primary provider of IT solutions to China’s air travel and tourism industries. The company’s aviation information technology services are delivered to Chinese commercial airlines and more than 290 foreign and regional commercial airlines. TravelSky provides air passenger service, air travel distribution, airport passenger processing, air cargo data processing, internet travel platform, domestic and international transport revenue management system, as well as final settlement and liquidation services. After 30 years of development and improvement, a complete information service line and a multi-tier, service-oriented system have been established to increase the efficiency of industry players.

Deal announced TravelSky’s investment following a meeting with company Executive Vice President Yuanchang Huang in Qingdao. Deal is currently leading a business mission in China to explore investment, trade and tourism opportunities for the state of Georgia. The company is seeking space in Gwinnett County for an 8,000-square-foot center for software development. TravelSky will hire its employees and open its new office by the end of 2013.

“The Chinese civil aviation industry constantly looks for more effective IT solutions to meet new operational, customer service and high-standing industry requirements,” said Executive Vice President of TravelSky Mr. Yuanchang Huang. “By bringing together resources, expertise and talent from the state of Georgia, we expect to deliver exceptional IT services and expand into the global markets of travel industry. TravelSky is grateful for the opportunity that Georgia has provided, and we are optimistic that the establishment of our North America R&D center in Georgia will lead to our continued success.”

In 2012, TravelSky was named in the top 200 highest performing companies with revenues of less than $1 billion. The company has more than 4,000 employees, 12 branches, 21 subsidiaries and nine affiliated companies. Its customers include 30 domestic airlines, nearly 200 regional and overseas airlines, 147 domestic airports and 7,000 ticket agencies, broadening its service range into 300 Chinese cities and 80 foreign cities and into the social arena through internet.

Project manager Stella Xu assisted the company on behalf of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, which partnered with the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce.

“We are pleased to welcome TravelSky to Gwinnett County. Our community is committed to establishing the county as a leading hub of technology and global business, and our work is paying off,” said Gwinnett County Commission Chairman Charlotte Nash. “Gwinnett is home to more than 500 internationally based businesses. Our reputation as a leading community in global business helps us attract and support growing companies, such as TravelSky.”

“Georgia has one of the most efficient airports in the world, a booming technology community, and a tourism industry that is a key economic driver,” said Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development Chris Cummiskey. “Each of these factors makes Georgia a logical site for TravelSky’s North American expansion.”