'It comes in waves' The tourist hotspots fed up with drunks and rocketing rents

In July, protesters took to the streets of Palma, the Mallorcan capital, carrying placards with slogans such as "no to mass tourism" and "tourism, but not like this".

- Clea Skopeliti

Although he did not attend, Jaume Fuster, 27, agreed with the messages. "They should be a wake-up call to our politicians to legislate against the overcrowding and bring in laws that improve the quality of life of us residents," the hotel worker said.

The island's housing crisis was out of control, he added. Like many of his friends, he lives with his parents. "It is impossible to live independently on our salaries," said Fuster, who is employed for only eight months of the year.

As a hospitality worker, he recognises the benefits of attracting visitors to the island where he has grown up. "Tourism is the economic engine of Mallorca," he said. "But every year we have record numbers of people coming.

The demand doesn't stop." The swelling numbers of visitors are intensifying the pressure on climate-stretched resources: in some areas of the island, restrictions on water use were announced last month.

The roads are clogged with rental cars, and public transport is unable to support the ever rising number of tourists, he said.