FN ISI Export Format VR 1.0 PT J TI Presence and awareness of Latin American Countries in the German speaking part of Europe AF Higuera Petersen, Triana AU Higuera Petersen, T AB There is a lack of perception of the Latin American countries in the German speaking part of Europe, more specifically Germany and Switzerland, compared with South-East Asia, which arises the question why? In order to answer to such question a perception is being analysed from the travel trade media point of view of two magazines, «fvw» and «travel INSIDE». The thesis highlights the importance of the consumer behaviour process when choosing a destination as well as the impact the mass media has over tourists in the pre-purchase stage, particularly from the magazines perspective and the use of advertising proceeding mainly from travel agencies and tour operators. Moreover, the information available in the literature regarding the Latin American countries and the participation of public and private sectors in the development of the local tourism throughout the years is explained and identified. Also, an analysis of the South-East Asian market is performed to understand the differences regarding the impact both destinations have in Germany and Switzerland for they offer similar touristic products as well as the travel distances to the regions are also similar. A lack of literature was encountered regarding the presence of the Latin American countries in the travel media and the impact it could have in tourism compared with South-East Asia. Therefore the main objective is to fill this gap. Complementary to the literature review there is also an expert interview and the analysis of a whole year of publications of two magazines that cover the German and Swiss market to understand how the travel media works, under which choice are the articles published and what is lacking in the Latin American countries that could improve their presence and position in Germany and Switzerland. ER