The AAA Travel High School Challenge has experienced phenomenal growth in student participation over the past four years.

More than 50,000 public, private and home-schooled 9th through 12th-grade students registered for the 2006 competition, which is aimed at improving travel destination knowledge and building awareness of career opportunities in the travel and tourism industry.

More than just a geography competition, questions test students’ travel literacy and knowledge of popular destinations for vacation travelers worldwide.

The 2007 competition kicks off January 8-16 with a national Internet-based contest. The top five scorers in each state and Washington, D.C., will advance to the state competition in March, which consists of a proctored, written exam. The top scorers from the state competition will advance to the national finals in Orlando, Florida, in May.

State champions and their chaperones will receive an expense-paid trip to attend the national competition at Universal Orlando theme park. More than $100,000 in college scholarships and prizes will be awarded to the top finalists.

Parents, students and teachers can find more information, contest rules, eligibility, and online registration requirements at www.aaa.com/TravelChallenge.