The protesters and residents pushing back on tourism in Barcelona

As protesters marched through central Barcelona on Sunday, they shouted at the tourists who were filming them to "Go Home!".

Bemused couples sitting in street cafés got squirted with water pistols and a luxury clothes store was pasted with stickers declaring the tourists whod shut themselves inside unwelcome.

Tourism is hugely important to Spain and Barcelona is a top destination for visitors. But the crowds are growing so fast that many locals complain theyre being squeezed out of their own cities.

Here and in popular spots across southern Europe, residents are pushing back.

"We cannot live in this city. The rents are super high because of BnBs and also the expats who come and live here for the weather," Marina explained, holding her own banner as the crowd gathered.

It declared "Your AirBnB used to be my home".

Other signs called for a ban on the giant cruise ships that dock here, with one announcing that over-tourism is "killing" the city.

"Our goal is not to stop tourism, because its also good, but to have it at a normal rate," Marina said.

The protesters route wound towards one of Barcelonas biggest attractions, the towering Sagrada Familia church designed by Catalan architect, Gaudi.

A combination of stunning architecture, sea and sun drew more than 15 million visitors to the city last year, almost ten times the local population. No wonder its feeling the strain.

"Were not against individual tourists, its about how were managing this," Elena, a young marine biologist, said.

"Young people cant afford living here or even normal things like coffee that are all really expensive for our salaries."

Its not only the young who are struggling.

At 80 years old, Pepi Viu has just been evicted from her home of almost a decade, in a popular neighbourhood. She thinks the owner wanted to earn more rent than the pensioner could pay.

Pepi is now in a hostel, and searching for somewhere more suitable, but prices have soared almost 70% since she last rented.

"I cant find anything – and theres no support. I feel like I have no protection and its upsetting," she says, frail and leaning on a stick. "Theres only tourist flats now, but we residents need somewhere to live!"

In some areas of town, almost all locals like Pepi have already been pushed out.

But in a narrow, paved street of the Gothic quarter, right in the tourist heart of Barcelona, Joan Alvarez is fighting to hold on to the flat his family have rented for 25 years, and at a price he can afford.

His landlord has terminated the contract, but Joan refuses to leave.

Most of the apartments in his building have already been divided into single rooms to bring in more rent.

Joans little oasis, with tiled floors and a terrace that looks towards the cathedral, is one of the few still intact.

"Its not just about the money, its the principle," he explains, cats winding through potted plants as he talks. "This is central Barcelona and theres hardly any of us residents left. It shouldnt be like that."

"Housing shouldnt be big business. Yes, this is his property, but its my house."

Under pressure from the protests, the authorities in Barcelona have already taken the radical step of announcing a complete ban on short-term rentals to tourists from 2028.

Some 10 thousand licences for tourist apartments will be cancelled.

But Jesus Pereda, who owns two popular tourist flats not far from the Sagrada Familia, thinks thats the wrong response.

"They stopped giving out new licences 10 years ago, but rents have still gone up. So how are we to blame? Were just an easy enemy," he insists.

Managing the flats is his job, providing an income for himself and his wife. "Now we have anxiety."

Jesus believes its the nomad workers moving from elsewhere in Europe who are pushing rents up, rather than tourists. "They earn and pay more. You cant stop that."

He argues that tourist flats like his help spread the crowds, and the cash, to other areas of the city. Without tourism he believes Barcelona would have an "existential crisis" - it represents up to 15% of Spains gross domestic product (GDP) as a whole.

If he loses his tourist licence, Jesus wont take on local tenants in any case: a price-cap means long-term rental is barely profitable so he plans to sell both the flats.

The protest in Barcelona culminated in chants of "Youre all guiris!" – local slang for foreigners – and a burst of firecrackers. Red smoke billowed up in front of rows of police officers blocking all routes to the Sagrada Familia.

A little earlier, the crowd had targeted a busy hotel, kicking a flare into the lobby. Tourists inside, including children, were clearly shaken.

There were similar protests elsewhere in Spain and more crowds in Portugal and Italy: not huge, but loud and insistent.

The concerns are the same and theres no consensus on how best to tackle it. But Spain is expecting more tourists this summer than ever.

Additional reporting by Esperanza Escribano and Bruno Boelpaep