The coast's rural economy increasingly relies on tourism and other service industries' although agriculture and fishing still have a role to play. The AONB skirts the larger Norfolk resorts such as Cromer but its north coast is a popular sailing area and includes small but busy sailing villages such as Brancaster and Blakeney. The AONB's coast attracts many day and weekend visitors, particularly from East Anglia, the East Midlands and London. Walking, touring, visiting beaches and exploring villages are the most popular activities. Sensitive dune reserves are susceptible to erosion and there are concerns over disturbance to internationally important shore nesting birds.
Uncontrolled dogs cause the most serious problems.
Much has been done to address these pressures by adopting positive visitor management and interpretation techniques, as most damage and disturbance is unintentional. More widely, the AONB's narrow, winding roads and attractive 'honeypot' villages are affected by traffic and parking congestion. Pressures are most obvious in the summer months, but it is increasingly a year-round problem. Agricultural pressures include loss of hedgerows and permanent pasture as well as inadequate management of heaths and marshes. Past attempts to manage the coastline have not taken sufficient account of its landscape character, its dynamic nature and natural coastal processes.