VisitEngland's £3m 'holiday at home' ads had no effect on 67% of Britons

Two-thirds of Britons have not paid any attention to a £3m advertising campaign led by VisitEngland and other regional tourist boards urging them to holiday at home this year.

That's the claim from prepaid currency card provider Caxton FX, which paid for a survey of 2,000 adults by YouGov.

The survey showed that the campaign has had no effect on 67% of Britons, who still plan to go on holiday abroad this summer.

A further 13% of people admitted that they hadn't seen the campaign at all and, for one in every 25 people, the advertising campaign has actually made them less likely to holiday in Britain.

But the campaign did have a positive effect in some areas, with the North East and North West being found to be the areas most positively affected by the advertising campaign - 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.

James Hickman, managing director of Caxton FX, 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 a holidaymaker off visiting a particular location. Across the UK, political unrest affecting a travel destination, such as the recent riots in Greece, were cited as the biggest reason not to visit somewhere.

However, there were noticeable regional variations in other factors that would influence holiday-making decisions. Brits 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%.

Meanwhile, people in the West Midlands were found to be the most cost-conscious, citing cost of accommodation (36%) and flights (30%) as the two top deterrents (after political unrest - 54%).

By Neil Gerrard

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