The spirit of adventure has deserted young British travellers, who are lazier and less adventurous than their French and German counterparts, according to a new study. The survey by the French tourist development agency, Odit, highlighted the demise of the backpacker and the rise of a generation seeking a comfortable hotel and a snooze in the sun.

Young Britons emerged as the least enterprising of all, with a marked preference for lounging around on packaged holidays. They want to relax and face nothing more strenuous than a walk to the swimming pool.

If forced to camp, they favour luxury tents with electricity, floorboards and private bedrooms. Very few want to go off on their own on a voyage of discovery, Odit found.

The agency questioned 2,500 European holidaymakers aged between 18 and 25. Of these, 500 were British, 500 German and 1,500 French.

“The habits of the young are very different from the stereotypes we have of them,” said Corinne Lespinasse, who carried out the research for Odit.

“We thought they went off camping with a rucksack. But in fact their behaviour is comparable to that of older people.”

About 36 per cent said that they stayed in hotels when on holiday, compared with 14 per cent who went camping and just 7 per cent who opted for youth hostels. Price was the most important factor when choosing lodgings, followed by cleanliness and comfort.

Asked what they hoped to get out of their holidays, an overwhelming majority of the British answered a “good time”. Germans, on the other hand, cited personal development and a chance to become autonomous. The French said that they sought to discover other cultures and “make themselves useful” – although only 3 per cent actually undertook humanitarian work, compared with 4 per cent of Britons.

A total of 66 per cent of the British said that they had dedicated recent holidays to rest and a suntan, as opposed to 45 per cent of Germans and 37 per cent of the French.

Just six per cent of the British had headed off into the unknown on their own, whereas twice as many French had done so and almost three times as many Germans. Odit noted the “importance for the British of structured, formatted trips, usually run by professionals”.

In an attempt to adapt the French tourist market to the demands of young travellers, the agency asked whether they wanted to see cultural sites and museums while on holiday. “Yes,” said 88 per cent of the French and 84 per cent of the Germans, but only 62 per cent of the British. Fewer than a third of the Britons were interested in a “city pass” giving access to guided tours, compared with two thirds of the other young Europeans.

The British were enthusiastic about evening entertainment at their holiday location, which was welcomed by 72 per cent of them, compared with 25 per cent of Germans and 39 per cent of French.

More than three quarters of the British were also keen to see jacuzzis installed in their hotels, compared with 63 per cent of French and 54 per cent of Germans. Finally, they were asked whether they would camp in “tents where you can stand up, equipped with a floor and electricity and with private sleeping space and beds”. A total of 34 per cent of the British were “very interested”, but just 20 per cent of the French and 14 per cent of the Germans.