Cultural Continuity as a Pathway From Archaeology to the Creative Economy: Unlocking the Tourism Potential of the Saraswati–Sindhu Civilisation

Abstract

The Saraswati–Sindhu Civilisation (SSC), one of the world's earliest urban civilisations, represents an exceptional archaeological and cultural legacy with considerable yet underutilised tourism potential. Unlike internationally recognised archaeological destinations such as Egypt, Greece, and Peru, most SSC sites continue to face challenges arising from fragmented interpretation, inadequate visitor infrastructure, weak destination branding, and limited community participation. This study develops an integrated conceptual framework to examine how Archaeological Resources, Cultural Continuity, Heritage Infrastructure, and Visitor Experience collectively facilitate the transformation of archaeological heritage into tourism products that contribute to the creative economy. The framework is informed by comparative international benchmarking and guided by UNESCO's Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) is proposed to validate the relationships among the five latent constructs while examining the mediating role of Visitor Experience and the moderating influence of Heritage Infrastructure. The framework highlights evidence-based interpretation, digital heritage technologies, integrated governance, and community participation as essential drivers for unlocking tourism potential, strengthening the creative economy, promoting heritage conservation, enhancing visitor engagement, and supporting inclusive local development.