The Times reports Bourne and Blackstone are in talks with investment bankers over a bid for the group, which was put up for sale by its Canadian owner late last year.

Onex Corporation acquired Parkdean in 2016 for around £1.35 billion.

Besides Butlin’s, Bourne also operates caravan and holiday park firm Haven, which last year named former Carnival UK president Simon Palethorpe its new managing director, and Warner Leisure Hotels.

TTG has approached Parkdean for comment.

Parkdean owns and operates 67 UK holiday parks, with sites spanning static caravans, lodges and glamping options, as well as touring and camping pitches. It has more than 31,000 pitches in total.

In 2019, it sold more than 600,000 holiday packages, mainly targeting the family market. The majority – approximately 75% – were for shorter breaks of up to five days.

Bourne cut ties with the UK travel trade during the pandemic, meaning its leisure brands Butlin’s, Haven and Warner Leisure no longer proactively work with UK travel agents.