Connectivity is the backbone of heritage tourism. Evaluate India's efforts, from early airline-led promotions to recent schemes.

Heritage sites yield tourism value only when visitors can reach them. In October 1976, Air-India co-sponsored "Operation Aurangabad" to put the Ajanta–Ellora complex on the world tourism map, using Aurangabad's air links to Delhi and Bombay [1]. India has since moved from promotion to infrastructure, with mixed results.

Strengths of India's efforts

• Airline–state joint branding: Air-India worked closely with the Government's tourist offices abroad. Its earlier joint campaigns had brought a "significant inflow" of tourists from the U.S., U.K. and Europe [1].
• Global recognition: Ajanta and Ellora were inscribed as World Heritage Sites in 1983, which raised their international pull [2].
• Regional air links: Starting with UDAN 3.0, UDAN (2016) added dedicated tourism routes in coordination with the Ministry of Tourism. These made Khajuraho, Deoghar and Amritsar more accessible [3].
• Destination-based approach: The Iconic Tourist Sites plan covers 17 sites, including Ajanta and Ellora. It bundles connectivity, amenities, skilling and branding [4]. Swadesh Darshan 2.0 has shifted to destination-centric, sustainable development, and PRASAD upgrades amenities at pilgrimage and heritage sites [5].

Gaps that remain

• Route sustainability: The CAG (Report No. 22 of 2023) found that many awarded UDAN routes were cancelled, for reasons such as airlines shutting down and aerodromes not being ready [6].
• Institutional silos: The ASI (Ministry of Culture) is the custodian of the sites [2], while tourism bodies and carriers promote them. Protection and promotion need closer coordination.
• Last-mile access: An airport alone is not enough. Road links, signage and visitor facilities at remote monuments can lag behind air connectivity.
• Carrying capacity: More visitors at painted caves put pressure on fragile murals, so wider access has to come with visitor management.

India's connectivity effort has grown from one airline's overseas campaign into schemes spanning several ministries, which is substantial but incomplete progress. The way forward is to bring UDAN, Swadesh Darshan 2.0 and ASI conservation plans together around each site, with viable routes, last-mile access and limits on visitor numbers. Connectivity can then support both growth and preservation, in line with Article 49 and the citizen's duty under Article 51A(f) to preserve India's composite heritage.