The city’s left wing mayor, Ada Colau, has returned from her summer holiday to a barrage of complaints about the way that tourists are behaving.
The Telegraph reports that residents in areas such as La Barceloneta are moving out of the area as a result.
Manel Martinez, vice-president of the Barceloneta Neighbours' Association, said: “People cannot rest. Many residents are leaving the barrio – people who were born here – because they cannot go on living like this.”
Manel also spoke about tourists who come over and end up getting inebriated and passing out in the strteets.
He said: “Do you do this in your own country? We don’t understand how people end up in this state.”
It’s reported that residents are tired of flats that are rented to tourists and used for parties.
Flats left empty during the financial crisis were taken over by drug dealers in areas such as El Raval and are now known as “narco-flats”, only furthering the city’s problems.
There are also fears for illegal “coffee-shops”, which tourists are buying drugs in.
Tourists are also being blamed for “drug paraphernalia” has been found in the local children’s playground.
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Mayor Colau has been blamed by locals for promoting “over tourism”, with 15 million coming into the city last year.
Meanwhile Alfred Bosch, the head of the left-wing ERC in the city council has said that Barcelona will soon become “the drug capital of Europe” if things do not change.
Barcelona isn't the only town to suffer from the effects of tourism – Magaluf has also started to fine Brits up to €500 for anti-social behaviour.
Any holidaymaker involved in rowdiness will now be fined €400 instead of the €100 of 2017 and €500 euros for any breach of the peace involving alcohol.
The same 400 per cent rise is being applied to any tourist caught urinating in the street who will now have to fork out €400 whilst the fine for going naked or semi-naked in a public place will double to €400 as well.
Calvià council, which covers all the main tourist hotspots in and around Magaluf, has published a revised list of existing sanctions which will be increased in price. They will either multiply four-fold, double or rise two and a half times the existing amount.
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