Malta has reported positive results from the implementation of its new booking system for visits to its natural beauty spot, the Blue Lagoon, which has reduced mass visitor concentration and overcrowding.
The booking system is one of several measures introduced this summer to augment environmental sustainability at the Blue Lagoon, a Natura 2000 site, and enhance visitor experience. The Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) also appointed internationally acclaimed architecture and design practice Mizzi Studio to deliver long-term rehabilitation proposals to preserve the site’s natural beauty, while ensuring ecological balance and sustainable public access. The proposals, which are being discussed with stakeholders, including-NGOs, will be open for public consultation in the coming weeks.
Highlights of new booking system:
• The highest recorded concentration of visitors at the Blue Lagoon at any one time in July and August was registered on the afternoon of Friday, 22nd August, at an estimated 3,830, down by 68% when compared to the peaks of summer 2024.
• The average number of visitors at the Blue Lagoon at each of the three daily time slots of the new booking system introduced this summer is 1,979.
• Only 34 out of 189 available time slots (morning/afternoon/evening) in July and August registered more than 3,000 visitors.
Last year, up to 12,000 visitors were recorded at the Blue Lagoon at any one time at peak hours. The new free online booking system introduced this year – Book. Protect. Enjoy. – allows a maximum of 4,000 visitors at any one time, marking the first ever attempt toward sustainable management of the area.
The system allows visitors to book one of three time slots – morning, afternoon or evening. The 1,979 average number of visitors per time slot registered in July and August demonstrates that the booking system is successfully distributing the flow of visitors throughout the day, avoiding the much higher concentrations previously experienced at certain peak hours. This data is also helping to inform the planning of additional measures.
Established earlier this year, Team Blue Lagoon is focusing on four key objectives:
▪ Improved visitor flows through the new booking system
▪ A safer visitor experience with a larger swimming zone
▪ Additional cleansing and waste management resources
▪ Strict enforcement and security throughout the site, on land and at sea
