Panaji, Jan 5 (IANS): Union Minister of State for Tourism Shripad Naik on Thursday said that the new airport in Goa would help tourism and to become a hub for exporting perishable goods like fruits, vegetables, and fish.

"This new airport would help tourism and enable Goa to become a hub for exporting perishable goods like fruits, vegetables, and fish," Naik said at an event organised to mark the operation of Manohar International Airport (MIA) at Mopa.

The MIA was inaugurated on December 11 by Prime Minister Naredra Modi, but regular operations commenced on Thursday.

According to Naik, with the service of cargo there would be more opportunities for employment generation and thus the state would get a good business.

"This airport will also help to increase income of locals and will attract visitors from across India," he added.

Naik said that the Union government is focusing on development in Goa and more projects will come to fruition in the near future.

Expressing his happiness at the airport beginning operations, he said: "Today is a golden day for Goa and for the people of Goa and for me too."

Naik reminisced about how he was tasked with looking into matters of Civil Aviation in his first term as a Member of Parliament, under the Prime Ministership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. "Manohar Parrikar was the Chief Minister of Goa then and we had started work on this airport. All our dreams have been fulfilled today," he said.