What is the most visited European city? Is it Paris or Berlin, Madrid or Rome, London or Prague? The citizens of Barcelona came to a belief that the only aim of people from around the globe is to come to their home city. The benefit is as clear as a day: tourism means income for the country that welcomes.

So, why does the resentment of local people keep growing?

Today tourism is overwhelming the city and living in it is becoming next to impossible. Imagine how instead of a quiet surrounding you face crowded streets, nosy people speaking various languages, thousands of camera flashes within a minute, etc. Well, that doesn’t look comfortable, does it?

The local council managed to find the way out via the Airbnb effect.  Airbnb is a real market area placed online. It allows citizens renting properties and some spare rooms to guests, who come as tourists. Recently, the city made the website remove 2,577 listings that are operating without any license approved by the city council. In June Airbnb gave the city an official access to all the data.

Before the Airbnb effect, there were nearly 16,000 holiday rentals in Barcelona. And 7,000 of them were unlicensed, of course. Teams of inspectors are now looking for illegal rentals, and the owners face fines that may go up to €60,000.

But what do such changes bring to Barcelona real estate

· Owners will follow the newest tendencies and any changes in the consumer market. They also have a chance to get an income that is more stable, so now they want to put some of their properties up for a long-term

· As prices for the rent go down, so do the prices for sale. Finding and buying own home in Barcelona is becoming a great

· Finding a perfect place for living in the city is getting easier, especially for students. The prices are becoming affordable and the rent is usually a long-term one. The new regulation helps to avoid risks like a safe stay in the city and being turfed out of the place with an illegal license.

The measures like these are already said to have more than a local significance. It is a sign for other cities: now they can fight against vacation rentals that are out-of-control.