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Holiday company Parkdean Resorts has created more than 1,500 jobs ahead of the reopening its parks for the summer.

The Newcastle firm reopens to holidaymakers at its 67 holiday parks on Monday, and is gearing up for one of its busiest summers ever, as families seek out staycation destinations during the coronavirus pandemic.

In preparation, the Gosforth firm has taken on an additional 1,500 team members, spread across roles including accommodation, food and beverage, and security.

The new recruits take the group’s total number of employees across the º£½ÇÊÓƵ to just under 8,000, which marks a company high.

Earlier this year, Parkdean Resorts announced its largest ever investment in its estate, committing £80m towards buildings, facilities, maintenance, health and safety, and environmental areas.

Last month it also secured a £25m equity injection from its Canadian private equity owners One, to make sure it can capitalise on the boom in staycations once holiday parks reopen.

The company is also testing a “parks of the future” initiative in four locations to create state-of-the-art amenities including accommodation, park facilities and kids’ activity-based entertainment such as the Bear Grylls Survival Academy.

As part of its summer strategy, the caravan, lodge, cabin, glamping and camping holiday resort business is launching its biggest ever marketing campaign to coincide with the reopenings.