Fairfax media reported that the Canterbury district in the South Island urgently needed 60 extra public toilets to meet demand. New Zealand hit by `weather bomb` bringing summer snow and flooding Read moreNew Zealand?s economy is heavily reliant on the tourist dollar but the surge in visitor numbers is putting a strain on public infrastructure around the country ? and in particular on public toilets. Facebook Twitter Pinterest The lone public convenience in South Taranaki. Chris Wilkes, a local resident, said more than 50 people each night used a toilet block in South Taranaki that contained a single toilet. In the tiny town of Glenorchy in the South Island, which is the gateway to Mt Aspiring National Park, visitor numbers average 150,000 a year.

Photograph: Stephen Burgen for the GuardianThe march coincides with a new law passed by Barcelona city council on Friday that, for the first time, seeks to curb tourism. In 2016 an estimated 9 million people stayed in hotels and a further 9 million in holiday apartments. And if I understand what?s written on some of these placards, they are complaining that tourism is forcing their rents up. In addition, the city received around 12 million day-trippers arriving by car and train or on cruise ships. There are currently 75,000 hotel beds in the city and around 100,000 beds in tourist flats, at least half of them unlicensed and illegal.