“Until the yearend (March 19, 2020) a select of dams will be at the disposal of the private sector for tourism development,” deputy energy minister Ghasem Taghizadeh Khamesi said on Saturday, Mehr reported.

“We have negotiated with a number of tourism agencies to arrange water tours, and it seems that people are keen to learn how potable water is produced [within dam zones].”

The official noted that 182 national dams have been built in the country, most of them have potential to be tourism destinations.  

Back in May 2019, Ministry of Energy inked a memorandum of understanding with Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts Ministry to lay the ground for launching dam tourism.

Though much of Iran is composed of arid and semi-arid lands, the country has many rivers, waterfalls ponds and wetlands offering scenic vistas to nature lovers and ecotravelers, backpackers, birdwatchers and fishers.

Water tourism involves traveling to locations specifically to take part in water-based activities. Some people who do not wish to partake in water related activities embark on water tourism trips so that they can visit tourist sites that sit close to bodies of water such as lakes, seas or even dams. Water tourists are often independent travelers, although some travel firms do organize group trips.