Singapore received its first millionth Chinese visitor when Yu Yongkang landed at Changi Airport on Tuesday afternoon.

The occasion marked the first time that Singapore has reached the one millionth mark for visitor arrivals from China and the first country to do so, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said.

Yu, on a business trip organized by his company, was declared the winner after he touched down in Singapore, with a surprise red- carpet welcome by the STB.

"I feel very honored and excited to be Singapore's first millionth Chinese visitor. This is really a pleasant surprise for me," Yu said.

He has won over 15,000 Singapore dollars (about 9,700 U.S. dollars) worth of prizes, including complimentary hotel stays, dining, shopping and spa vouchers, courtesy cruise tickets, even two business-class return tickets to Singapore.

Ken Low, the STB's assistant chief executive (Brand and Communications), regarded this as a significant milestone for Singapore's tourism industry.

"It signifies our growing appeal as a destination for Chinese visitors and validates our efforts in focusing on China as one of the key growth markets," he said.

The STB first established its presence in China in 1990 to promote Singapore as a destination. In recent years the STB has been embarking on series of initiatives targeted at Chinese visitors, including the facilitation of visa application procedures.

Chinese visitors to Singapore have reached an annual average growth of 14 percent in the last five years. China is now Singapore's second largest visitor-generating market.