Gosforth-headquartered Parkdean Resorts, the UK’s largest holiday park operator, has announced a cash injection of almost £1.4m into its parks across Northumberland and Durham as part of its biggest investment programme.
£140 million is being spent nationwide, and the investment in the North East will go towards new accommodation – including brand new developments, and upgraded caravans to replace existing fleet – and installing park-wide Wi-Fi capability, which will further improve the guest experience in 2022.
Parkdean Resorts welcomed more than 25,000 visitors to Crimdon Dene, near Hartlepool, and with advance bookings at record levels, the award-winning company expects even more holidaymakers for 2022. The park employs almost 120 people in peak season, and is now hiring for seasonal and full-time roles across sales, food and beverage, and housekeeping.
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The investment comes off the back of a record year of customer feedback scores for the industry-leading holiday park operator. Steve Richards, Chief Executive of Parkdean Resorts, said: “This investment is great news for the North East.
"By investing in our parks, we’re not only improving the guest experience, we’re also ensuring that holidaymakers keep coming back year after year, spending money in local shops, attractions, pubs and restaurants, and supporting the communities that rely so heavily on tourism. 2021 was a huge year for staycations, and our teams will continue to go above and beyond to deliver phenomenal service to our guests, making sure that 2022 is even better.”
Nationwide, the £140m investment includes over 850 new caravans and lodges, new developments at 16 parks, and hundreds of refreshed and upgraded chalets and lodges with a brand new look. 13 parks have received new pitches and developments in 2022, offering a rare opportunity to become a proud holiday home owner in some of Parkdean Resorts’ most exclusive settings. £6m has also been spent on connectivity projects, meaning that employee Wi-Fi has now been installed at 65 parks, with direct-to-van Wi-Fi to be available in 50 parks by the end of the year.
More than £13m has been invested in the company’s ‘Parks of the Future’ initiative. Three parks, Newquay in Cornwall, Southview in Skegness, and Naze Marine, in Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, will benefit from a whole host of exciting new activities and upgraded facilities, as well as upgraded and brand new accommodation options, while Trecco Bay, Europe’s largest holiday park, will be bigger and better than ever after a further round of enhancements. The investment in these sites takes the total number of ‘Parks of the Future’ to ten, as Parkdean continues to invest in taking its parks to the next level.
Last year, Parkdean Resorts created 2,000 jobs. More than 375 trainees joined on the Government’s Kickstart scheme, with 550 more trainees to be recruited this year and given the chance to launch a new career at one of Parkdean’s 66 parks across the UK. The company has also partnered with Cranfield University to create a first-of-its-kind Mastering Business Leadership programme, providing elite leadership and management training for future leaders within the business.
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