Return Back

 

This week’s Samoalive Personality of the Week is Vaimasenu’u Zita Sefo Martel. Vaimasenu’u Zita resides at the village of Ululoloa.

Zita Sefo Martel is the co-owner and Managing Director of Island Hopper Vacations (Samoa) Ltd, an inbound tourism operator company.  She is also the Honorary Consul of France in Samoa, the first and only female to hold such a post in Samoa.

Education:

·       1969-1975 : St Mary’s Savalalo, Apia, Samoa

·       1976-1979 : St Mary’s College, Vaimoso, Apia, Samoa

·       1980:           New Plymouth Girls High School , Taranaki, New Zealand

·       1981- 1984 : Scholarship- University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand Bachelor of Arts in English and History

·       1986:           French School, Quebec City, Quebec

 

Main Highlights of Career:

·       1985 ~ Radio NZ 3ZM, Christchurch, New Zealand

·       1987 – 1989 ~ St Joseph’s Convent, Castries, St. Lucia, Caribbean

·       1995 ~ Island Hopper Vacations (Samoa) Ltd.

                  “I became a business woman on return to Samoa, and started a new

                   Tourism inbound operator company, the first of its kind”.

·       1997 ~ “Partners of the Pacific” (POP) – Founding member of this global business network of inbound tourism operators that recognized the need for speedy and reliable service to our worldwide clients.  Also, with effective pooling of our marketing funds and ideas and constant updates between the partners on global trends, has resulted in our securing a sizeable chunk of the market share for our respective destinations, i.e. Samoa, Cooks, Tahiti, Niue. 

·       1997-1998 ~ President of  Samoa Visitors Association

·       1999 June ~ French National Rugby Team Tour of Samoa..

Island Hopper Vacations Samoa becomes the official handler and organiser of    the French Rugby Teams tour to Samoa. “A great success, although Manu Samoa lost the game”.

·       2000 ~ Honorary Consul for France in Samoa

Where to from here:

“My personal beliefs are unless you live and love to the fullest, and do something beyond what you have mastered, you will never grow”

“My dreams are to quadruple our company’s tourist numbers by the year 2005, start other business ventures to complement Island Hopper Vacations, retire in 10 years, grow my own taro patch in Aleipata, and NEVER to fly again!”