The move came the day after British Airways said it planned to close its Glasgow call centre.

Thomas Cook said it intended to take on the new recruits for its call centre at Larbert, near Falkirk, which already employs 300.

Most of the new jobs are for "sales consultants" who take holiday bookings from customers UK-wide.

It is Thomas Cook's second recruitment drive in a matter of months - the firm has taken on 85 new staff since October.

The firm said its staff retention rate was above average for the industry.

Phone bookings down

Sean Ablett, head of the centre, said during the announcement on Wednesday: "This is Thomas Cook's largest call centre and we are growing rapidly as customers become more confident in booking their holidays by phone.

"Our consultants are given comprehensive training over several weeks, and there is great opportunity for promotion."

On Tuesday it was bad news for call centre workers when BA announced the closure of its Glasgow operation.

But the company said that almost 400 jobs would be created at the airline's call centres in Manchester, Newcastle and Belfast.

The BA said the move was in response to the increased number of people making bookings online.