The government’s £3 million ‘Holiday at Home’ advertising campaign has had no impact on two thirds (67%) of people who still plan to head abroad this summer.
A further 13% of people admitted that they had not seen the adverts. And for one in every 25 people, the advertising campaign has actually made them less likely to holiday in Britain.
The North East and North West are the regions most positively affected by the advertising – with a fifth (19%) of people in both regions now more likely to holiday in the UK.
Scotland was the least positively affected area, where 1 in 10 (9%) said that the advertising campaign has made them less likely to holiday in Britain.
The findings come from a YouGov poll of more than 2,000 adults for prepaid currency card provider Caxton FX.
The company’s managing director James Hickman said: “In spite of substantial investment, it seems that Brits are still committed to holidays abroad and with the pound currently very high against the Euro, holidays abroad can offer good value – especially for those people who would prefer to avoid the Olympics this summer.”
The research also looked at the factors that would put holidaymakers off visiting a particular location, with political unrest such as the recent riots in Greece, cited as the biggest reason not to visit a destination.
The study also found that people in the North East are the biggest sun-seekers, with a quarter (33%) citing unseasonably bad weather just behind a bad review from a friend (35%) as a resort turn-off, much higher than the UK average of 26%.
People in the West Midlands were found to be are the most cost-conscious, citing cost of accommodation (36%) and flights (30%) as major deterrents after political unrest at 54%.
Almost half (43%) of those in the East Midlands saying that a poor online review would be their biggest holiday turn-off; followed by a poor review from friends and family (35%).
Hickman said: “Summer holidays are a costly luxury for most and it’s evident that when Brits are spending their hard earned money, they want it to be a faultless, dream holiday.
“Clearly, consumers are increasingly sensitive to the news agenda, as the Greek riots, the eurozone crisis and the ever growing importance of peer-to-peer review sites such as TripAdvisor are all affecting our holiday making decisions in 2012.
“Indeed, with the ubiquity of the internet increasingly impacting all aspects of our lives, it’s not surprising to see sites such as TripAdvisor named the second biggest factor in the decision-making process.
“From researching resorts, to booking transport and buying travel money, every aspect of a summer holiday can now be organised online. It’s important that Brits do their research, ask around and don’t take their holiday decisions lightly.”