Natalia Bayona

Natalia Bayona is the Executive Director of UN Tourism and a pioneer in public administration whose career began within the government of her native Colombia. During her years at ProColombia, the national tourism agency, she led the promotion of Colombian tourism across the Southern Common Market region and became the inaugural director of Colombia’s commercial office for Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. At the age of twenty‑seven, she became the youngest manager responsible for promoting Colombia’s tourism worldwide.

After moving to Spain in 2016, Natalia served as Vice President of Spain Startup–South Summit before joining UN Tourism to lead its newly created department for innovation, education and investments. Under her leadership, the organization has developed groundbreaking global entrepreneurship competitions, national innovation challenges, and more than 20 international forums on technology and innovation. These initiatives have nurtured a global ecosystem of over 10,000 entrepreneurs, thousands of companies and institutions, dozens of accelerators, and hundreds of investors. Her work has facilitated more than USD 200 million in financing for emerging companies. She also established the first UN Tourism Online Academy, which now offers more than 20 courses and serves over 20,000 students worldwide.

Natalia is an Eisenhower Fellow recognized for her commitment to advancing prosperity and equity through tourism. In 2022, the Colombian government named her one of the country’s ten most influential citizens living in Spain. She holds a degree in International Relations from Universidad Externado de Colombia and an Executive Master in Business Administration from IE Business School, as well as specialized training in innovation and digital transformation for tourism. She regularly teaches at leading universities, including Harvard, Cornell, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.