Abstract
Coastal and Marine Tourism (CMT), as part of the oceans economy, offers significant
development opportunities that can contribute to job creation and sustainability. However, there
are limited
national and international best practices to assess the economic impacts of CMT. The aim of this
study was to reflect on experiences from a piloting exercise that was undertaken to inform the
development of a framework to assess the economic contribution of CMT to South Africa’s tourism
sector. Previous studies, focus on contextualising Operation Phakisa, examining CMT globally and in
South Africa, and highlighting economic contributions identified in selected CMT case studies
(including the economic models generally used). Drawing on the review of existing studies as well
as discussions with key economic experts, a framework for a pilot study to assess the economic
impacts of CMT in South Africa was developed. Supply (coastal and marine tourism business owners,
accommodation establishments, tour operators and restaurants and retail outlets) and demand
(clients/ tourists/ users) side data collection surveys were piloted. The reflections and
experiences from the piloting reveal challenges such as the unwillingness of supply side
stakeholders to participate, lack of access to locations to undertake research, inability to access
databases with contact details of supply side stakeholders, lengthy surveys and quality of
information in relation to specific questions. The implications of the piloting is that the
Input-Output model and Tourism Satellite Account is the most appropriate economic approach for the
South African context. The value of this article is that it is important to focus on demand side
data collection and ensure streamlined data collection tools and
processes.