Blue Lagoon’s Pioneering Digital Twin: How Malta is working to balance Nature and Tourism

The Malta Tourism Authority has teamed up with Mizzi Studio to create the world’s first immersive Digital Twin of Comino’s Blue Lagoon. This pioneering project is part of a broader plan to restore, protect, and manage the lagoon’s delicate ecosystem while preserving its natural beauty for future generations. Using advanced photogrammetry and Unreal Engine technology, the Digital Twin allows millimetre-accurate study and planning, giving stakeholders and the public a shared tool to understand and safeguard this iconic Maltese site.

What is a digital twin? A Digital Twin is a virtual model of a real place, helping in the understanding of the place in order to best protect it, leading to far better understanding and experience in its future. The Digital Twin of Blue Lagoon created by Mizzi Studio is the first national-scale use of digital twin technology in eco-tourism planning, allowing Malta to lead the way in using digital tools to safeguard and manage delicate landscapes.

Why now? The importance of the Digital Twin

Malta faces global challenges as climate change and human pressures threaten its valued landscapes. Tourism is vital, but sites such as Blue Lagoon with its habitats and rich biodiversity are under ecological pressure. However Malta recognises the importance of safeguarding the landscapes that attract visitors.

“Blue Lagoon is the heart of our islands, our child, and like any child we must protect it. Exploring the boundaries of Digital Twin technology has given us an unprecedented ability to design with the greatest level of sensitivity to context. It allows us to understand our ecological and visual impacts in ways that would never have been possible before, ensuring that every intervention is respectful. Globally, many destinations are grappling with the pressures of rising tourism and environmental change but through careful design and planning, solutions can be found.” said Jonathan Mizzi, Director of Mizzi Studio and Project Architect.

In collaboration with the University of Malta, Mizzi Studio used LIDAR and 3D photogrammetry, creating a photorealistic Digital Twin of Blue Lagoon, built from over 4,500 drone photos and 2 billion data points. This millimetre-accurate replica of the site becomes a valuable tool for ensuring everyone involved in the process has a deep understanding of the site. The Digital Twin of the Blue Lagoon helps us understand and appreciate the delicate ecosystem of the site, and enables the studio to thoroughly understand the Blue Lagoon itself.

The Digital Twin allows Malta to study, plan and act sensitively within its context:

Study: This digital replica reveals the current state of ecological health of the Garrigue landscape and shows how visitors have impacted the site with unprecedented accuracy

Plan: It allowed the studio to design interventions in harmony with nature, directly within the existing site and coastal parameters

Act: These tools mean that they are able to fully share their proposals with stakeholders and the Maltese public with full transparency and clarity for consultation.

Setting a Global Precedent

Restoring the Blue Lagoon with careful planning represents a paradigm shift. Using Digital Twins for conservation and public participation offers solutions that can be applied to other global areas of natural sites that are in need of protection and ecological rehabilitation.

“Blue Lagoon’s Digital Twin shows how technology can help heal, not harm, nature. Malta can be a beacon for other destinations facing similar pressures,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism Ian Borg.

Mizzi Studio, an interdisciplinary architecture and design studio with offices in Valletta and London, are dedicated to creating a harmonious future for all living things. They do this by paying close attention to all parts of our ecosystem and recognising the importance of embracing regenerative design to restore ecosystems and boost biodiversity. Recent projects include the Carbon Garden Pavilion at Kew Gardens, exploring regenerative design, and the Living Bridge at Green School Bali, a co-designed learning centre. Most recently, Mizzi Studio showcased this commitment at ChangeNOW 2025 in Paris, an Expo for innovative environmental solutions.

The Malta Tourism Authority (MTA) promotes and developes Malta as a leading tourism destination. It supports the government through policy advice, oversees licensing , ensures quality standards, and invests in human resource development. The MTA also drives marketing, projects, and events to enhance the visitor experience.

#MaltaDaily