Off Hours: Tourism minister is dedicated to Greece

Her early career as a track and field athlete equipped Elena Kountoura with the right tools to later enter politics and become the Greek minster of tourism.

Elena Kountoura was an athlete and model before taking up politics. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

Elena Kountoura is Greece's minister of tourism and a member of parliament representing an Athens constituency for the Independent Greeks party. She started out as a track and field athlete on the Greek national team, then spent 13 years travelling the world as a model before becoming a publisher of women's magazines. She embarked on her political career in 2004. Ms Kountoura is married and has two sons. She attended the 18th Global Women in Leadership Economic Forum in Dubai last year to discuss the role of women in Greek leadership.

How do you spend your weekend?

Being a member of the government means your time is very limited. I love interior design and decorating houses, that’s one of my hobbies. But I cannot have many interests, because I’m absolutely dedicated to being the minister of tourism. When I get to spend time with my two sons, who are now 17 and 18, I make sure that it is quality time.

How did you become the tourism minister for Greece?

I had wonderful parents. My father, who was the former Hellenic army officer and monarchist Alexandros Kountouras, was very supportive. I was 14 when I joined the Greek national track and field team and for eight years I won various international awards for the high jump and 100 metres. I then got into the fashion business and worked with the world’s best designers, photographers and creators. I lived in Paris for 12 years and New York for four years. In 1997, I returned to Greece and became a publisher of women’s lifestyle and family magazines.

I became very much involved in charity work – I’m the Greek chairwoman of the breastfeeding awareness non-profit organisation Europa Donna, for example – and that offered me a way to get into politics. Greek people were proud of me because I represented them outside of Greece in many ways. I was elected to the Greek parliament in 2004, fighting for human rights and gender equality. I was on the committee of education, culture, sport and tourism for 10 years, so when in January 2015 our party joined the government, I got the portfolio of tourism.

What is your go-to gadget?

I use my computer and my cell phone and that’s it. I don’t really explore the possibilities of technology, I just use them for my job.

What was the lowest point in your career?

In 2015, when I got the portfolio of tourism, the responsibility was huge. I had to handle a big crisis – a referendum, capital controls and also the prospect of Brexit, through political negotiations. At the same time I had to do my best to achieve the numbers in tourism that I wanted. Greece really went though some rough times with austerity measures and we really needed to push the tourism sector because it’s a source of fast revenue. We were very scared that things wouldn’t go the way we wanted, due to external geopolitical factors. So I worked 20 hours a day. It was very difficult to have this huge responsibility and yet have so many factors out of my control.

What advice would you offer someone starting out in politics?

Have confidence, educate yourself, know where you want to go and never give up on your goals. You have to try to be humble, too. As a young athlete, I learnt the tools of discipline, principles and hard work. As a politician I found that when you really dedicate yourself to something that you believe in you can succeed.

What’s your most indulgent habit?

I eat books, when I can. I love to learn stuff from them. I also love music, to hear all these talented boys and girls with incredible voices.

What do you have on your desk at work?

It’s just a working desk, with no pictures, just a bottle of water, a glass and lots of files.

What can’t you live without?

My sons. They’re older now so they have their own studies, which makes being a working mum easier. When they were younger, it was more difficult.

How do you achieve a work-life balance?

My job is a very big responsibility. Tourism is 20 per cent of our GDP and directly and indirectly sustains about one-and-a-half million Greek jobs. So it’s not that easy to have a work-life balance. Sometimes my sons complain and say “we never see you, you travel so much” but I think they do support me.

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