The new owner of a Suffolk holiday park has promised to woo visitors with American-style razzmatazz.

Alex Langsam says that, as well as bringing a touch of Disney-type magic to the Pontin's Holiday Park at Pakefield, near Lowestoft, he has plans to extend the complex.

Mr Langsam and his Britannia Hotels group will officially acquire all five Pontin's sites nationwide on February 21.

Yesterday, he spoke to the EDP about his plans for the Pakefield park after he was quoted nationally about his love of Walt Disney World, in Florida.

His plans for Pontin's could include having Disney-style cartoon characters greeting guests and bringing smiles to children's faces.

However, he promised that the traditional Pontin's bluecoats would not be forced into the background at the Suffolk park, which employs about 200 staff.

Speaking from his Manchester headquarters, Mr Langsam said: 'Americans do the whole razzmatazz thing very well, and that is something I want to see over here.

'I feel like a kid again when I see Disney characters, and I want to bring that feeling here.'

Mr Langsam, whose group has 36 hotels on its books, said early plans for the Pakefield park included:

Building a new seafront bar.

Creating more accommodation space for guests.

He said: 'I think it is a fantastic park, and all I want to do is open it up to more people.

'Pontin's is a national icon and will be enjoyed by people for many years to come. And I am always keen to create more jobs for local people.'

Britannia Hotels was founded in 1976 and owns the Adelphi Hotel in Liverpool and the Grand at Scarborough.

Mr Langsam is reported to have acquired Pontin's for �20m from administrators KPMG. He plans a multi-million-pound revamp of the other Pontin's parks, too – in Somerset, Sussex, Wales and at Southport.

Pontin's had gone into admin-istration in November after the business suffered a dramatic drop in trade. There are 850 staff working across the Pontin's sites, and the deal between Britannia Hotels and KPMG means no redundancies will be made.