GLASGOW Science Centre has maintained its five-star status after attracting visitors with its high standards and massive range of attractions.

The £70million complex is one of only three visitor attractions in the city to be given top marks by VisitScotland.

Opened in July 2001, the Science Centre first secured the coveted five-star rating in July 2006.

Almost two years on, mystery shopper' judges visited the centre on the banks of the Clyde, and were so impressed, they decided a second five-star appraisal was well-deserved.

Tom McWilliam, Visit-Scotland area director, said: "I'm delighted the Science Centre has maintained its world-class, five-star grading and continues to be one of the top attractions in Glasgow and indeed Scotland.

"Visitors are increasingly looking for an experience that goes above and beyond their expectations and I believe, due to the high quality on offer, the Science Centre more than achieves this.

"In order to reach our ambitious targets of increasing tourism revenues by 50% by 2015 we need to highlight and build on the success of attractions that go that extra mile to cement our reputation as a quality destination."

The science centre now ranks alongside other must-see tourist attractions such as Edinburgh Castle, the British Golf Museum in St Andrews and the Famous Grouse Experience in Perthshire.

The centre shares its five-star status with two other Glasgow attractions - the Scottish Football Museum at Hampden and Kelvingrove Museum, which was awarded the top rating last summer.

Last year the centre had 414,000 visitors, making it the fourth most popular paid-for attraction in Scotland.