Min suggests entertainment park in Goa’s Mopa airport

Civil aviation minister Suresh Prabhu has expressed his interest in creating an entertainment park at the upcoming greenfield international airport in Mopa so as to attract more global tourists to the site.

“As much as 234 acres of land (at the Mopa airport site) has been allotted for commercial development. We should explore the possibility of developing a huge entertainment park here so that it can be a tourist attraction,” the minister said. He also suggested that the park could either be developed under a public private partnership (PPP) model, or outsourced.

The minister was speaking to reporters after inspecting the airport project site. The work on the runway has begun in the airport. “The airport will earn profit every time an international flight lands here. More flights will translate into more income, and more tourists,” Prabhu said, adding that by 2025, 30 million tourists will visit the state because of the airport.

The minister also said jobs created out of the Mopa airport project would be offered only to locals, and that there would be no compromise on this. “A skill development programme will be launched in the state. Those who undergo training will be employable anywhere in the world,” he added.