Academic Staff Profile

Mr. Ramitha Pathirana

Head of the Department

Department of Tourism Management

Department of Tourism Management · Faculty of Business Management

Email Call

Biography

Ramitha Pathirana is a tourism management academic and industry professional with over seven years of experience in higher education, tourism management, and travel operations. He currently serves as a Lecturer and Head of the Department of Tourism Management at Sri Lanka Technology Campus (SLTC).

His academic and professional approach is strongly industry-oriented, with a particular emphasis on connecting academic knowledge with practical applications. Alongside his academic career, he has maintained active engagement with the tourism industry through travel agency operations, in both inbound and outbound tourism. This industry exposure enables him to bring contemporary tourism practices and real-world perspectives into the classroom and support the development of industry-ready graduates.

His academic interests focus on advancing tourism education through industry integration, experiential learning, digital transformation, and sustainable tourism practices, while developing graduates who are academically grounded, professionally competent, and responsive to the evolving needs of the tourism industry.

Academic and Professional Qualifications

He holds a Master of Business Administration in Tourism from Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka and a BSc (Honours) in Tourism Management from Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka. He has also completed professional qualifications in Strategic Brand Management and Airline Ticketing.

Teaching Areas

Travel Operations Management
Tourism Planning
Niche and Special Interest Tourism
Tourism Marketing
Service Quality Management in Tourism
Facilities Management

Research Interests

His research and professional interests include Tourism Planning, E-Tourism, Sustainable Tourism, Special Interest Tourism, Tourism Marketing, and Tourism Product Development. His research work has addressed areas including smart tourism, tea tourism, tourism competitiveness, e-learning, and the development of new tourism products.

Publications

Challenges in Implementing Smart Tourism Practices in Ella, Sri Lanka.

Tourist Perception and Uniqueness of Sri Lankan Tea Tourism Experiences: Nuwara Eliya District.
Impact of Macro-Economic Factors on International Tourist Arrivals: Sri Lanka and Regional Competitors.
Collaborative E-Learning Applications in Sri Lankan Vocational Education.
Repurposing Tea Estate Bungalows as Accommodation for Tea Tourism.