Mizzi Studio To Lead Comino Overhaul As Malta Plans Cap On Blue Lagoon Visitors
Malta is set to radically rethink the way visitors experience one of its most iconic destinations: the Blue Lagoon on Comino. In a bid to protect the island’s fragile ecosystem and tackle chronic overcrowding, the government has appointed award-winning architecture firm Mizzi Studio to draw up a comprehensive strategic plan for the site—and confirmed that a daily cap on visitors is likely to be introduced.
The plan, commissioned by the Malta Tourism Authority, aims to restore the balance between tourism and conservation on Comino, an island long loved for its turquoise waters but overwhelmed during the summer by thousands of day-trippers.
Mizzi Studio, whose portfolio includes a number of public projects in Malta and overseas, will now lead the creation of a long-term plan that reimagines both the experience and the infrastructure of the Blue Lagoon. This includes removing current installations and replacing them with environmentally sensitive alternatives, improving sanitation, introducing resting areas, reorganising the food and beverage kiosks, and creating a central information and enforcement hub to manage visitors more effectively. Preliminary designs are being drawn up and are expected to be published in the coming months.
Tourism Minister Ian Borg said the number of people arriving in Comino during July and August—reportedly up to 10,000 per day—is no longer sustainable. A visitor cap, he said, is necessary to preserve what makes the island special. “We need to clean up Comino and take care of it,” he said. “It’s not just a place we pass through, it’s a national treasure.”
The government is also expected to revise ferry licensing rules, particularly for operators that ferry large volumes of tourists to and from the island during peak hours. Some of these regulatory changes will come into force this summer, while infrastructure upgrades are planned for 2026.
Borg added that the new plan aims to shift the public mindset around Comino—from a party island or Instagram hotspot to a place that deserves long-term care. Access for locals will remain a priority, and the strategy will encourage visitors to explore other trails and culturally significant areas of the island, not just the Blue Lagoon shoreline.
The initiative marks Malta’s most ambitious attempt yet to address years of criticism from environmentalists and residents who have raised concerns about overcrowding, poor waste management, and a lack of basic facilities. If successful, it could serve as a model for how Malta balances tourism growth with ecological stewardship going forward.