Mr Samuel Ang, 38, got a pleasant surprise when he was declared S.E.A. Aquarium's 10 millionth visitor since its opening in 2012.
The financial services consultant visited the aquarium at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) yesterday with his wife Claire, 37, and their 13-month-old daughter Beatrice at 10.50am. They were specially led to the Ocean Dome by RWS staff.
They were each presented with a S.E.A. Aquarium annual pass by RWS vice-president of attractions Jagdesh Kumar which will give them free access to the aquarium for a year.
The family also received a gift hamper containing merchandise such as sea creature plushies and stationery.
The 10 millionth visitor at the attraction was determined by estimates based on forecasts of visitor arrivals compiled by RWS.
Mr Ang said he felt "overwhelmed" by the unexpected announcement.
His family also got to take photos with Mai, the manta ray mascot. "Beatrice's favourite animal is the manta ray, so it's quite a coincidence," Mr Ang said about the meeting with the mascot.
He had taken his family to Sentosa on a three-day, two-night staycation from Sunday to celebrate his and his daughter's birthdays, which fall on Feb 22 and Feb 28 respectively.
The couple plan to use the pass to visit the aquarium monthly. They first visited the attraction on a date five years ago, and yesterday's visit was their third.
Mrs Ang, a financial consultant, said she likes the aquarium because it is child-friendly. "The floor is carpeted, which makes it easy for kids to move around," she said.
Other visitors will also get to enjoy some perks. From now till April 9, children aged between four and 12 visiting the aquarium on a one-day ticket will enjoy a free upgrade to a child annual pass. They have to be Singaporeans or permanent residents.
Home to 100,000 marine animals across 800 species, the S.E.A. Aquarium was named second-best aquarium in Asia in the 2015 TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice Awards.
Correction note: An earlier version of the story stated that the S.E.A. Aquarium is home to 10,000 marine animals. This is incorrect. It should be 100,000 marine animals. We are sorry for the error.
