Growing tourism in Cape Town in a weak global economy will require attracting more visitors from emerging economies, mayor Patricia de Lille said on Thursday.

She said the current economic climate was putting strain on Europe and North America, Cape Town's traditional tourist markets.

“We need therefore to ensure that we channel energy and resources into attracting tourists from areas where there remains strong growth in tourist numbers,” De Lille told the 8th annual general meeting of Cape Town Tourism, according to a copy of her speech.

This meant drawing tourists from Asian, African and the Pacific regions where economies were growing at eight percent a year, as opposed to four percent in Europe.

She said the tourism sector would remain an important contributor to economic growth in Cape Town, as well as the nation as a whole. - Sapa