Chinese millionaires choosing Britain for holidays There has been a surge in popularity of Britain as a luxury travel destination. It is a significant leap," said Rupert Hoogewerf, the founder of Hurun. "The key driver I guess was the Olympics," he added. Hurun surveyed 551 Chinese millionaires, 69 of whom had fortunes of more than 100 million yuan (£10 million). Their average age was 39 and they made an average of 3.4 trips abroad annually. Mr Hoogewerf said most of the visitors planned to visit London and remain "around one hour's drive of Heathrow." Some of them left considerable chunks of their fortune behind. "I met someone last night who has bought a unit in One Hyde Park," he said. Prices in the central London residential complex begin at £20 million. While the UK's fortunes rose, Japan and Australia fared worse. "Japan has had a terrible year - not helped by the Diaoyu Islands and the tsunami," he said. Japan and China have been clashing over the Diaoyu, or Senkaku, islands, an uninhabited chain that lie between the two countries. British luxury brands were also on the up, Mr Hoogewerf said, noting that Burberry has risen into the top ten for the first time.