Research Topic: Water tourism is an opportunity that can help create employment and income for local communities and develop tourism infrastructure in the country. Considering the climatic conditions and geographical location of Khuzestan Province, as well as the abundant water resources, identifying and prioritizing water areas in this province is of great importance.

Objective: The present study was conducted with the aim of analyzing and screening the diversity of water resources in Khuzestan Province to assess the capacity of tourism development in this province.

Method: Water areas were identified using satellite images and then prioritized through a list of criteria for selecting water areas and prioritizing them by specialists and experts.

Results: The results of scoring and screening water areas showed that among the rivers of the province, the Karun River has the highest priority with 34 points, followed by the Karkheh, Jarahi, Ab Shur, and Dez rivers. Among the internal wetlands of the province, the highest priority is Shadegan Wetland with 41 points, and other selected internal wetlands include Shimbar, Hor-al-Azim, Ab-Zalo, Bandun, and Miangaran. The results of coastal-marine wetlands showed that Karaneh Abadan with 30 points has the highest priority, followed by Karaneh Shadegan, Mosabe Bahmanshir, Khor Musa, and Mosabe Arvandroud, respectively. Regarding man-made water bodies, Gotvand Dam Lake has the highest priority with 31 points, and then other wetlands include Karkheh Dam Lake, Karun 1 Dam Lake (Shahid Abbaspour), Marun Dam Lake, Jareh Dam Lake, Dez Dam Lake, and Gotvand Tantimi-Anhrafi Dam Lake, respectively.

Conclusion: According to the results obtained, Khuzestan Province has abundant water diversity, and water tourism, as a tool for balanced regional development, can help develop tourism and increase infrastructure and economic prosperity in this province.