The government has announced a cash injection of £1 million to fund the expansion of online tourism services.

The funding will pay for the third of three strands of services to be made available on EnglandNet.

Under the changes, the website will provide links to a range of tourism information services, with the aim of allowing users to plan their holidays on one website, and providing a unique marketing tool for tourism businesses. In addition, "online communities" will be created to enable users to share information.

"The way we are researching, planning and booking holidays is changing," said tourism minister Richard Caborn.

"More and more people are turning to the internet. Travel is now the most popular online purchase in the UK. We need to meet that growing need and deliver what customers want.

"EnglandNet has a fundamental role to play in the future of tourism in this country - improving worldwide access to the English product and helping us to remain competitive in the 21st century.

"It will bring very real benefits to both business and consumers."