TEHRAN - Mazandaran province has attracted nearly three million visitors to its tourism facilities in the past seven months, thanks to recent investments in water-based tourism infrastructure.

Mazandaran’s water tourism is getting an appropriate place for the province’s economic strategy, expanding beyond the traditional attractions of beaches and seas, IRNA reported.

Those facilities, situated around dams and other water resources, are part of a managed tourism strategy aimed at harnessing the region's natural resources to boost local tourism.

Rivers, lakes, wetlands, springs, waterfalls, and reservoirs are now being developed to attract tourists in an environmentally sustainable way, helping prevent harmful tourism practices.

In recent years, there has been a marked increase in interest in water tourism in Mazandaran, the report said.

Currently,  the province has 16 water tourism projects managed by the Regional Water Company and leased to private investors.

The picture-perfect province has long been a highly popular destination for domestic travelers. Its varied nature features plains, prairies, forests, and rainforests stretching from the sandy beaches of the Caspian Sea to the rugged and snowcapped Alborz sierra, including Mount Damavand, one of the highest peaks and volcanos in Asia. More than 800 registered historical and cultural sites, 338 km of shoreline, mineral springs in jungles and mountains, waterfalls, and caves are among the major tourist attractions in the province.

AM