The Welsh Assembly Government has unveiled a £9m funding boost to expand tourism in the Welsh valleys.

It is hoped that the cash injection, which will take the government's investment in the region to £23m over the next three years, will help attract 355,000 more visitors each year. Obtained through the EU's Convergence programme, the funding will be distributed in conjunction with a £5m package set aside earlier this year for a number of key attractions within five local authorities.

The 255-mile (410.4km) Valleys Cycle Network, which runs along former railways and canal towpaths from Abergavenny to Kidwelly, will receive £2.8m of European funding for a 25-mile (40.2km) extension scheme. A £6m redevelopment of the General Offices at an Ebbw Vale steelworks into a family history centre will also receive a major boost. In addition to the £3.35m allocated by the Heads of the Valleys programme outlined in January, it will also receive £2.65m of European cash.

Leighton Andrews, deputy minister for regeneration, said: "We have already seen considerable investment in the tourism product, and a raft of exciting plans to develop and enhance visitor attractions are now underway. "These, together with a number of other projects we are supporting, will make the region far more attractive to day visitors, and will help change perceptions while providing improved facilities for local people."