A visitor online booking system to protect the environment of Comino's Blue Lagoon will be introduced on Thursday, the Malta Tourism Authority said.
'Book, Protect, Enjoy' is the theme of the new system, whereby individuals or groups arriving by private or commercial vessels and wishing to set foot at the Blue Lagoon, will need to pre-book using a free online system bluelagooncomino.mt.
Visitors can book one of three daily time slots: 8am to 1pm, 1.30pm to 5.30pm and 6pm to 10pm.
The booking system will instantly generate a unique QR code, to be presented to officials at the site’s coastal and land access points.
Visitors will be provided with a wristband, allowing access for the duration of the time slot.
Those entering the site without authorisation will be liable to fines.
The MTA noted that last summer, up to 12,000 visitors were recorded at the Blue Lagoon at any one time, especially during peak hours.
The new booking system will allow a maximum of 4,000 visitors at any one time.
During the first few weeks of the scheme, officials on site will provide guidance to visitors who may not yet be familiar with the booking process.
Plans for capping visitor numbers at the Blue Lagoon were first revealed by Foreign and Tourism Minister Ian Borg in an interview with Times of Malta last February.
The minister also vowed to “clean up” Comino, adding sanitary facilities and introducing stricter and fairer concessions for boat, kiosk and deckchair operators as early as this summer.
The Blue Lagoon had seen a proliferation of deckchairs and umbrellas, often encroaching upon protected natural areas and eating up all public spaces. In 2022 and 2023 Moviment Graffitti activists descended on the island in protest, removing deckchairs and umbrellas, calling out the rampant commercialisation, and coming head-to-head with operators and the police.
The MTA said on Tuesday that the new booking system is one of the first actions of a two-year project spearheaded by Team Blue Lagoon, bringing together several ministries, authorities and entities.
Other measures will include safer extended swimming zones, improved waste management, additional sanitation facilities and stricter law enforcement.