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.
Keywords: Coastal and Marine Tourism (CMT); Operation Phakisa; South Africa; economic models;
piloting