//The "confusion" is because people really want to go on holiday to France, Spain, and Italy.//
No it isn’t.
The confusion has been caused by the government introducing a scheme which, when first announced, gave people the impression that it would be acceptable to visit “amber” listed countries provided they quarantine when they return. Many holiday operators acted on that. They told their customers that their holidays would still be going ahead and that they would have to comply with the government’s conditions (which was fair enough). I quote the information provided, on 13th April, by my holiday company:
“• Amber: Again, holidays will go ahead as planned. The requirement to quarantine on your return does not give you the right to cancel your holiday and receive a full refund. The actual holiday is not affected by this, therefore there is still a responsibility to pay the suppliers (for example accommodation and flights) for their services.”
So, moving forward to last Monday, we find that the FCO advice to “Green” countries (e.g. that popular tourist hot-spot, the South Sandwich Islands) begins “Non-essential travel from the UK resumed on 17 May.” But when looking at “Amber” countries (e.g. France, since you mentioned it) the advice begins “The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to the whole of France based on the current assessment of COVID-19 risks."
Unlike much of earlier government advice on Covid matters, this has an important effect on travellers thinking of going there and who are prepared to comply with the testing and quarantine requirements. It means that almost all travel insurers will not provide cover for medical treatment. So effectively they are prevented from going.
Since Monday there are no longer any restrictions on leaving England to any overseas destination – even “Red” countries - for any reason. Travellers only have to comply with the relevant regulations concerning testing and quarantine (and that is the only legislative difference between “Red”, “Amber” and “Green”). But, not without precedent, the government has added to its litany of confusion. Only yesterday the Prime Minister, no less, announced that travel to Amber listed countries “…had to be for some pressing family or urgent business reason". There is no basis for this whatsoever. Over the past year whenever “advice” has conflicted with legislation people have been free to ignore the advice and simply comply with the law. In this instance they cannot because the FCO advice against travel means that, unless you are prepared to travel without medical cover, you cannot travel at all. It also means that if tour operators provide holidays to places where the FCO has advised against travel they may find themselves on the wrong end of legal action for doing so.
If the government believes it is “dangerous” to travel abroad (as one Minister said yesterday) then they could have simply maintained the position prior to Monday – that it is illegal to travel without good reason. Don’t fanny about so that people don’t know what they can and cannot do.
I’ll comment about why people want to travel abroad and should not be castigated for doing so a little later.