Holiday parks in Ceredigion and Gwynedd have changed ownership after an American takeover in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Bourne Leisure, which operates through its three brands, Haven, Butlin’s and Warner Leisure Hotels, has been acquired by American company Blackstone.

The companies said that the investment will “support the recovery” of the “Covid-impacted” business, and set them up to benefit from “increasing demand for UK domestic holidays”.

Haven is the largest UK caravan operator with 38 holiday parks. In Ceredigion it runs Quay West, and in Gwynedd, Hafan y Môr in Pwllheli, and Greenacres, Cardigan View and Garreg Wen in Porthmadog.

Paul Flaum, group chief executive officer of Bourne Leisure, said the takeover “marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Bourne Leisure, for our guests, our holiday home-owners and our team members”.

"We are delighted to be partnering with Blackstone who has demonstrated a real understanding of our business and sector, and we look forward to working together to deliver on our exciting plans for the future,” he said.

"We are also delighted that our founding families will continue to be involved in the business through their significant family minority co-investment.

"We see compelling opportunities to grow Haven, Butlin’s and Warner Leisure Hotels, as well as benefit from the increasing demand for UK domestic holidays.”

Lionel Assant, European head of private equity at Blackstone, a global investment firm, said: “We are long-term believers in the UK and are delighted to invest meaningful capital, despite recent uncertainty, to support the recovery of a Covid-impacted industry, and wider local economies.

“We look forward to working in partnership with Bourne Leisure’s founding families, the management team led by Paul Flaum, as well as colleagues from Blackstone Real Estate, to further grow this great company.

“Our strong track record investing in the UK leisure sector will allow us to further enhance the company’s unique, high quality assets across the country, and continue building on its success for guests, holiday-home owners and team members over the last 57 years.”

The Harris, Cook and Allen founding families are co-investing alongside Blackstone Capital Partners and Blackstone Real Estate Partners and will together hold a significant minority stake in the business.

Blackstone has previously invested in Center Parcs and currently owns Merlin, which has grown to become the second largest operator of visitor attractions and theme parks globally.