Around 2011, Zahirah Marty landed in Dubai with a cashed-out pension fund, a few months of salary savings and two suitcases. She lived on instant noodles for months. Twelve years later, a travel show she hosted beat international competition to win Best International Program at the Taste Awards.
The Zahirah Marty net worth 2026 estimate is modest by celebrity standards. We put it at $200,000 to $600,000, and we hold that range loosely. No outlet has published a figure, no salary or deal value is on record, and Marty herself said in early 2025 that her monthly savings had, up to then, been nothing.
That kind of honesty is rare among TV personalities, and it makes her story more useful than most. Here is what her shows, her businesses and her own words reveal about her finances.
On this page14 sections
- 01Zahirah Marty Net Worth 2026 at a Glance
- 02Who Is Zahirah Marty?
- 03From Two Suitcases to a Dubai Career
- 04South African TV and the Mela Years
- 05Great Getaways and the Allen Media Group Deal
- 06Zahirah’s Bucket List Adventures and My Travel Diary
- 07Her Businesses
- 08Brand Partnerships and Social Media
- 09What Zahirah Marty Has Said About Money
- 10Breaking Down the Estimate
- 11Why You Won’t Find a Reliable Figure Elsewhere
- 12Zahirah Marty’s Husband and Family Life
- 13Key Takeaways
- 14Frequently Asked Questions
Zahirah Marty Net Worth 2026 at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Estimated Net Worth (2026) | $200,000 – $600,000 (estimated) |
| Full Name | Zahirah Marty (née Variawa) |
| Age | Late 30s |
| Birthplace | Durban, South Africa |
| Nationality | South African |
| Based In | Dubai, UAE (since around 2011) |
| Profession | Travel TV host, producer, entrepreneur |
| Known For | Great Getaways; Zahirah’s Bucket List Adventures |
| Business | Think Liquorice; The Destination Institute |
| Spouse | Andrew Marty (married 2016) |
| Awards | Two Taste Awards (2023); Silver Telly Award (2025) |
Who Is Zahirah Marty?
Zahirah Marty, born Zahirah Variawa, is a South African travel presenter, producer and entrepreneur from Durban. A January 2025 interview described her as 36, which puts her in her late 30s today. Her exact birth date has never been made public.
Before television she worked in public relations and marketing, and that background still shapes how she earns. Today she is based in Dubai, where the city’s official tourism board lists her among its “curators” and describes her as a presenter, entrepreneur and mother.
From Two Suitcases to a Dubai Career
The move to Dubai is the part of her story Marty tells most often, because it explains everything that came after. She arrived with almost no safety net and spent her early months living cheaply while she looked for work in a city where she had no network.
What she built was a freelance career rather than a salaried one: presenting jobs, marketing projects, brand content and eventually her own companies. That matters for her net worth. Freelance income can be good in strong years, but it rarely arrives evenly, and she has been open about how uneven it has been.
South African TV and the Mela Years
Marty kept a foot in South African television while building her life in the Gulf. In 2016 she presented on SABC3’s Mela, and her own wedding in Dubai became part of the programme: it aired on May 8, 2016, within a four-part Dubai travelogue.
That blend of personal story and destination content became her signature. It is also the format that later won her awards.
Great Getaways and the Allen Media Group Deal
Her biggest career step came in early 2022, when she joined Allen Media Group as host of Great Getaways on its MyDestination.TV channel, along with work for Pets.TV. The series took her across South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia.
It paid off quickly in recognition. On March 13, 2023, Great Getaways: Namibia won Best International Program and Best Single Camera Production at the 14th Taste Awards, and was a finalist in three more categories, including Best Travel Program.
Awards do not come with big fees, though. MyDestination.TV and Pets.TV are niche lifestyle channels, and host pay on networks like these is far below what presenters earn on major broadcast shows. Allen Media Group has never disclosed what it pays its hosts.
Zahirah’s Bucket List Adventures and My Travel Diary
Marty followed Great Getaways with Zahirah’s Bucket List Adventures, a series built around her own name. Its Bali, Indonesia episode won a Silver Telly Award in 2025 in the Travel and Tourism category.
She now hosts and produces My Travel Diary. Producing, not just presenting, is the more valuable role, because it usually means a share of the budget and some ownership of the work. She also appears on the 2026 Franschhoek Literary Festival programme, which points to a growing speaking side to her career.
Her Businesses: Think Liquorice and The Destination Institute
Alongside television, Marty founded two companies: Think Liquorice Marketing Management and The Destination Institute. Neither publishes revenue, client lists or staff numbers, so their value is impossible to pin down.
What she has shared is how she runs them. She started both with very little capital, chose not to bring in outside investors, and has dealt with repeated cash flow problems. More recently she hired a business coach. Self-funded businesses like these can build real equity over time, but they tend to eat profits before owners see them.
Brand Partnerships and Social Media
Her brand work leans luxury and travel. Partners have included Visit Dubai, One&Only, Fairmont, Four Seasons and Audi, typically for hosted content and destination campaigns rather than one-off sponsored posts.
Her social following is small next to mega-influencers. Her main Instagram account, @mrszahmarty, had roughly 32,000 followers in September 2026, and her TikTok and X audiences are a few thousand each. That is why her income depends on production and presenting skills more than on audience size.
What Zahirah Marty Has Said About Money
In a January 2025 money interview with Khaleej Times, Marty was asked how much she had been saving each month. Her answer: to date, nothing, “but this is changing.”
It would be a mistake to read that as “no net worth.” Savings are only one piece. Money put back into a business, equipment, company equity and anything owned jointly with her husband all count toward net worth without appearing as monthly savings. But the answer does rule out the idea of a large cash fortune, and it is the main reason our range stays below $1 million.
Zahirah Marty Net Worth 2026: Breaking Down the Estimate
Here is how each part of her career likely contributes:
| Income Source | What’s Public | Likely Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| TV hosting and producing | Great Getaways, Bucket List Adventures, My Travel Diary; fees private | Main income |
| Think Liquorice and The Destination Institute | Founder of both; revenue undisclosed | Business equity, uneven cash flow |
| Brand partnerships | Visit Dubai, One&Only, Fairmont, Four Seasons, Audi | Project-based |
| Speaking and training | Corporate training, festival appearances | Supplementary |
| Savings | None saved monthly as of January 2025, by her own account | Keeps the total down |
Fifteen years of work, two companies and an award-winning TV career support a positive net worth in the low-to-mid six figures. Her own account of self-funded businesses and past cash flow problems keeps it from going much higher. Our range does not include her husband’s income or any property the couple may own, since neither is public.
Why You Won’t Find a Reliable Figure Elsewhere
Most online profiles of Marty either say her net worth is “undisclosed” or repeat biographical claims with no source, such as scholarships she turned down or companies she co-founded with family. We could not verify those details, so we left them out.
We have also avoided putting a precise number on her. With a freelance career like hers, a single confident figure would imply more certainty than anyone outside her accountant actually has.
Zahirah Marty’s Husband and Family Life
Marty is married to Andrew Marty, an Australian veterinarian. The two met at an Andrea Bocelli concert in Abu Dhabi and married in late March 2016 at Fairmont The Palm in Dubai, in front of around 160 guests, a celebration that also made it onto South African television.
She is a mother and keeps most family details private. For more presenters whose public profile is bigger than their bank balance, see our TV personality net worth profiles, or read how we calculate net worth for estimates like this one.
Zahirah Marty Net Worth 2026: Key Takeaways
- Our Zahirah Marty net worth 2026 estimate is $200,000 to $600,000.
- TV hosting and producing are the main income behind the Zahirah Marty net worth 2026 figure.
- Her two self-funded businesses add equity but uneven cash flow to the Zahirah Marty net worth 2026 total.
- Her own comments about savings keep the Zahirah Marty net worth 2026 estimate below $1 million.
- Luxury brand partnerships add project-based income to the Zahirah Marty net worth 2026 picture.
- Her husband’s income is not included in the Zahirah Marty net worth 2026 estimate.
- We hold any Zahirah Marty net worth 2026 number loosely, as no official figure exists.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Zahirah Marty’s net worth in 2026?
Zahirah Marty’s net worth is estimated at $200,000 to $600,000 in 2026. No official figure exists, and she said in January 2025 that she had not yet been saving monthly, so the range carries low confidence.
Who is Zahirah Marty’s husband?
She is married to Andrew Marty, an Australian veterinarian. The couple met at an Andrea Bocelli concert in Abu Dhabi and married at Fairmont The Palm in Dubai in March 2016.
How old is Zahirah Marty?
She was described as 36 in a January 2025 interview, which puts her in her late 30s in 2026. Her exact birth date is not public.
Where is Zahirah Marty from?
She is from Durban, South Africa, and has lived in Dubai since around 2011.
What shows does Zahirah Marty host?
She has hosted Great Getaways and Zahirah’s Bucket List Adventures for Allen Media Group’s lifestyle networks, and she hosts and produces My Travel Diary.
Did Great Getaways win an award?
Yes. Great Getaways: Namibia won Best International Program and Best Single Camera Production at the 14th Taste Awards in March 2023.
What businesses does Zahirah Marty own?
She founded Think Liquorice Marketing Management and The Destination Institute. Neither company publishes its revenue.
How did Zahirah Marty start her career in Dubai?
She moved to Dubai around 2011 with a cashed-out pension fund, a few months of savings and two suitcases, and built her career through presenting, marketing work and travel content.
What is Zahirah Marty’s real name?
She was born Zahirah Variawa and took the surname Marty after marrying Andrew Marty in 2016.
Does Zahirah Marty have children?
Dubai’s official tourism board describes her as a mother, but she keeps most details about her family life private.
