BEIJING, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- A total of 197 million people took part in winter tourism from November 2017 to March 2018, according to an annual report released by the China Tourism Academy recently.

Winter tourism refers to tourist activities related to ice and snow.

The cost associated with winter tourism has been decreasing while the public shows increasing interest in participating, said Han Yuanjun, editor-in-chief of the report.

Winter tourism is conducive to rural vitalization and local economic transformation, the report said.

Winter tourism has been booming in China since Beijing won its bid in 2015 to host the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Local governments of Beijing and the provinces of Hebei, Jilin and Heilongjiang have unveiled policies to promote winter tourism.