Data compiled by holiday rental portal Holidu found that, despite the protests there, Spain is far from being the worst affected destination.

The stats showed that Dubrovnik in Croatia was actually the “most overloaded” city in Europe, with 36 tourists per inhabitant.

Venice in Italy, Bruges in Belgium, and Rhodes in Greece were the destinations next most affected by overtourism – with 21 tourists per inhabitant.

Reykjavik in lceland, Florence in Italy, Heraklion in Greece, Amsterdam in the Netherlands, Ireland’s Dublin and Estonia’s Talinn completed the top ten most “overloaded” destinations.

Paris, Porto, Prague, Athens, Nice, Edinburgh, Lisbon, Copenhagen, Antalya and – in 20th place – Barcelona completed the top 20 list of major destinations with the most visitors per resident.

Manuel Alector Ribeiro, an associate professor in tourism management at the University of Surrey, said that tourism was “dying of success” in some destinations. He said: “No famous destination that is overcrowded has found the formula to avoid this phenomenon of overtourism.”

Mr Ribeiro said that tourism “is supposed to be an industry or sector for social good”. He blamed overtourism on a lack of management – and this is a breeding hostility between residents and tourists – reported Fortune.

However, the phenomenon has also been blamed on access to affordable flights. Boston Consulting Group’s managing director and partner Yassin El Khourouj told Fortune: “The rise of low-cost airlines has allowed the development of cheap city breaks and short trips. In parallel, in most cases, overtourism has yet to be properly addressed by destination authorities.”

Local authorities and governments also share some of the blame, says Simon Lynch – global sales and product director at tour operator Scott Dunn. He said authorities should stop promoting the “Instagram hot spots”.

He also suggested travel agents are part of the problem, saying: “Many visitors arrive in their destinations on a package holiday or cruise.

“They’re somewhat insulated from the places they’re visiting and in general I’d say awareness [of their impact] is low,”

“Ultimately, it’s about creating a high-quality experience for visitors and maintaining a high-quality environment for residents. Deterring tourists isn’t the answer.”