Panaji, Jan 26 (IANS) Goa governor S.S. Sidhu Wednesday said that the promotion of Goa as a tourist destination should go beyond its beaches.

Speaking at the Republic Day parade here, Sidhu said that diversification of Goa's tourism portfolio was key to the state's economic prosperity.

"Ninety percent of tourism in Goa has been beach-based. Apart from maintaining our edge in this regard, it is equally important to initiate the process of diversification of tourism," Sidhu said.

The governor said that the state government should avail of central government schemes which encouraged the development of alternative tourism avenues like eco-tourism, adventure tourism, back water and heritage tourism. Sidhu said Goa has a lot of scope for these avenues.

Speaking about the expansion of Goa's existing airport at Dabolim, Sidhu said that the upgradation and expansion of the airport would be done by mid-2012, and added that construction of Goa's second international airport, a greenfield project at Mopa, in north Goa, some 50 km from here, would take half a decade more.

"Keeping in view the fast growth of civil aviation and the estimated increase in passenger and cargo tariff in the coming years as well as requirement of general aviation, the urgency to pursue the construction of greenfield international airport at Mopa cannot be over-emphasised," Sidhu said.