From what I've heard from a woman who lived in England, it is or was fashionable to vacation in France but only in areas specifically set up for British tourists. So everything there is British, including the food and rules and such. (Apparently it's okay to be nude on the beaches of France, which is part of what they're trying to avoid. Or something. This all came up in only one conversation. She was basically explaining how incredibly unexciting and timid that someone else had been, so I may be getting some of my details incorrect.)

But yeah, it's pure bloody-mindedness.