PearlPath

A MERN Stack-Based Integrated Tourism Platform for Sri Lanka

🌐 Live Website: https://pearlpath-frontend-deploy.vercel.app

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Team

• E/22/124, R.G. Gunawardana – e22124@eng.pdn.ac.lk
• E/22/228, W.M.S. Manujitha – e22228@eng.pdn.ac.lk
• E/22/232, D.F.A.T.D. Mathangadeera – e22232@eng.pdn.ac.lk
• E/22/452, Y.M.C.J. Yagabamunu – e22452@eng.pdn.ac.lk

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Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Solution Architecture
3. Software Design
4. Testing
5. Complete System Guides
6. Conclusion
7. Links

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Introduction

Tourists visiting Sri Lanka often face a fragmented digital ecosystem where accommodation, transportation, and tour services are spread across multiple platforms. This leads to inefficiencies, inconsistent data, and difficulty in planning a reliable travel experience.

PearlPath is a MERN stack-based centralized tourism platform that integrates hotels, vehicle rentals, and tour guide services into a single system. The platform provides a seamless and secure experience with verified listings, enabling users to plan and manage their entire यात्रा in one place.

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Solution Architecture

PearlPath is built using the MERN Stack (MongoDB, Express.js, React.js, Node.js) following a scalable three-tier architecture:

1. Presentation Layer (Frontend)

• Built with React.js and Vite
• Styled using Tailwind CSS
• Provides role-based dashboards for:
  • Tourists
  • Service Providers
  • Administrators

2. Application Layer (Backend)

• Developed using Node.js and Express.js
• Implements RESTful APIs
• Handles:
  • Authentication & Authorization
  • Booking logic
  • Data validation

3. Data Layer (Database)

• MongoDB (NoSQL database)
• Stores:
  • User data
  • Listings (Hotels, Vehicles, Tours)
  • Booking records

External Integrations

• Google Maps API for:
  • Location visualization
  • Distance calculation
  • Route planning

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Software Design

1. Authentication & RBAC (Role-Based Access Control)

• Passwords secured using Bcrypt
• Session management via JWT (JSON Web Tokens)
• User roles:
  • Tourist
  • Hotel Owner
  • Vehicle Owner
  • Admin

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2. Service Management System

Providers can:

• Add and manage listings
• Upload images and details
• Track booking requests
• Update booking status in real-time

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3. Unified Booking Engine

• Centralized booking controller
• Prevents overlapping reservations
• Calculates cost dynamically based on:
  • Duration
  • Service type

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4. UI/UX Design

• Modern “Sunset Theme” UI
• Built with Tailwind CSS + custom animations
• Uses Lucide React icons
• Focus on:
  • Clean navigation
  • Responsive design
  • Smooth user experience

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Testing

Testing was performed comprehensively across multiple levels, employing both automated scripts and manual evaluation, resulting in 158 passed test cases across 11 suites.

1. Unit Testing (Jest)

• Validated individual components in isolation using the AAA (Arrange, Act, Assert) pattern.
• Implemented robust unit tests for all major database models (User.js, Booking.js, Hotel.js, Vehicle.js, etc.).
• Verified Mongoose schema validation, default assignments, Enum enforcement, and Bcrypt password hashing logic.

2. Integration Testing (Jest & Supertest)

• Verified the interaction between REST API endpoints, the database, and third-party services.
• Extensively tested the /api/login endpoint against 100+ edge cases (missing fields, invalid formats, unauthenticated requests).
• Utilized Test Doubles (Mocking) for external dependencies like the Gemini AI Trip Planner to ensure deterministic and fast execution without hitting API rate limits.

3. API Testing (Postman)

• Executed manual end-to-end API validations.
• Verified accurate status codes (200, 400, 401, 404, 500) and response structures.
• Tested JWT token generation and Bearer authorization across protected routes.

4. End-to-End (E2E) & Usability Testing

• UI Workflows: Verified full user flows on the frontend (Registration, Interactive Dashboards, Booking creation).
• Usability Feedback: Distributed 4 targeted feedback forms (Tourist, Hotel Owner, Vehicle Owner, Tour Guide) using Google Apps Script to gather real-world user feedback and ensure an intuitive user experience.

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Complete System Guides

• 🛠️ Developer & Maintainer Guide: PDF
  • Technical architecture, database models, microservice gateway proxy setup, and API reference.
• 📖 User Manual & Operating Guide: PDF
  • Role-based step-by-step user manual for Tourists, Hotel Owners, Vehicle Owners, Tour Guides, and Admins.
• 📝 Software Testing Report: PDF
  • Automated test execution logs (158 passed test cases across 11 suites), Jest/Supertest results, and Postman API validation evidence.

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Team Contributions

D.F.A.T.D. Mathangadeera (E/22/232)

• Backend Architecture
• REST APIs
• AI Chatbot

W.M.S. Manujitha (E/22/228)

• Discovery Modules
• Search Aggregation
• UI/UX Design
• Currency Conversion

R.G. Gunawardana (E/22/124)

• Routing Infrastructure
• Postman API Testing
• Frontend Integration

Y.M.C.J. Yagabamunu (E/22/452)

• Interactive Map Module
• Authentication / OTP
• Booking Validation
• Git Branching Strategy

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Conclusion

PearlPath provides a scalable, MERN-based solution to unify Sri Lanka’s tourism services into a single platform. It significantly improves user convenience, system reliability, and service accessibility.

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Future Enhancements

• Online payment integration (Stripe / local gateways)
• Real-time chat system
• Mobile app (React Native)
• AI-based recommendation system

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Links

• Project Repository
• Project Page
• Department of Computer Engineering
• University of Peradeniya