Tourism CV
June 19th, 2008
Mike has a BA (First Class Hons), Philosophy, Politics and Economics, Oxford University, an MA (Econ), Economics and Econometrics, University of Manchester and is a Fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants (FCCA).
Mike’s career summary is set out below:
2007 - : Principal, Nevin Associates Ltd
1998 - 2007: Managing Director, Caledonian Economics Ltd
1994 - 1997 : Managing Consultant, Deloitte & Touche, Edinburgh
1990 - 1994 : Senior Consultant, Touche Ross Management Consultants, London.
1986 - 1990 : London Docklands Development Corporation : 1988-1990, Financial and Economic Manager; 1986-88 : Financial Analyst.
1982 - 1986 : Loan Officer, European Investment Bank, Luxembourg
1979 - 1982 : Financial Analyst, Commonwealth Development Corporation, London
1977 - 1979 : Economist, Government of St. Lucia, West Indies
In 1998, Mike established his own practice, Caledonian Economics Ltd, and established it as a leading advisor on tourism economics nationwide. In August 2007, he sold his 80% stake in Caledonian Economics, which was largely focused on PFI assignments, to focus on tourism and leisure projects through a new practice, Nevin Associates, with a mission to provide a customised, high quality advisory service to selected clients.
Among the clients he has advised on tourism and leisure issues are:
· Trafalgar House Plc, for which he prepared an analysis of the impact of two alternative proposals for expanding Green Park underground station on the local economy. The analysis was used in evidence before a Parliamentary Select Committee inquiry into the extension of the station, before which he appeared as an expert witness. The inquiry found in favour of the Trafalgar House option, which the study had indicated would have a lesser adverse impact on the local economy than the proposed London Underground Ltd scheme;
· Bath City Council, for which he prepared an economic and financial analysis of the options for restoring the Bath Spa. This analysis involved developing a computerised cost-benefit model showing the probable impact of the spa’s restoration on the city’s economy under different scenarios;
· York City Council, whom he advised with respect to the economic impact of alternative options for their tourism development strategy;
· the British Tourist Authority’s VAT Working Group, whom he advised on the economic impact of lower VAT rates on British tourism. This research drew on case studies of Ireland and other northern European countries, surveys of industry operators and consumers, and an econometric analysis of price elasticity of tourism demand, in order to estimate the direct and indirect fiscal effects of lower VAT rates through a comprehensive fiscal model developed for the BTA;
· the Council for Travel and Tourism, whom he advised on the economic impact of Air Passenger Duty, which involved elaborating the fiscal model developed for the BTA VAT study;
· the Bailiwick of Guernsey, for whom he undertook a study of the economic impact of the Island’s accommodation sector and subsequently in separate assignments of the exported goods and services sector and the non-accommodation tourism sector. All these assignments involved the development of the economic impact model originally applied in the Bath Spa study to assess the amount of expenditure, income and employment generated by the sector under review for the Guernsey economy;
· the Tweed Foundation, for whom he prepared an estimate of the economic impact of salmon fishing on the Tweed, applying his economic impact model;
· the British Tourist Authority, for whom he completed an econometric analysis of The Price Sensitivity of British International Tourism, published in 2001, which for the first time provided robust estimates of the sensitivity of inbound UK tourism to fluctuations in Sterling’s exchange rate and income growth in major visitor markets;
· also for the BTA, he completed a detailed comparison of tourism prices and taxation levels in five major European cities, London, Paris, Madrid, Rome and Berlin;
· for the BTA, he also completed an analysis of the Employment Costs of Tourism Enterprises in 2002 to update estimates of turnover and costs per job created in the UK tourism sector – which will be of direct relevance in the assessment of the economic impact of TICs;
· the Alnwick Garden in Northumberland, for which he prepared an Economic Impact Assessment in 2002, which helped raise £7 million for the second phase of its development. He also worked with The Garden to prepare its five-year Corporate Plan in 2004, mobilising a further £15 million for the third phase, involving the construction of a Pavilion as the centrepiece of Alnwick, which has been justly described as “the most magnificent public garden created in the United Kingdom for over a century”; BDRC worked with Mike on this programme.
· The Royal Museum of Scotland, for which he prepared A Cost-Benefit Analysis of Development Proposals for the Royal Museum of Scotland in June 2005 to support funding bids by the National Museums of Scotland for an ambitious £44.5 million development of the Royal Museum in central Edinburgh. The project gained Stage One approval for a £16.8 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund in July 2005, and, following further analysis of its positive economic impact by Mike in 2006/07, mobilised the balance of the funding for a project which, in the words of Dr Brian Lang, chair of HLF’s Committee for Scotland , will “breathe new life into this beautiful building”;
· The Great North Museum in Newcastle, for which he prepared an Economic Impact Assessment in 2005 for the Great North Museum Partnership. The Partnership is proposing an ambitious project to create a new Great North Museum through the redevelopment of the existing Hancock Museum and the integration of the existing Hatton Gallery. The Museum will become a major magnet for visitors to the city of Newcastle, and form a key element within the Newcastle Cultural Quarter;
· Woodhorn, for which he prepared a business plan for an Exhibition Centre in 2006;
· Raby Castle in County Durham, for which he prepared a Business Plan in 2007, to develop the Castle’s markets and enhance its financial position;
· The Kielder Water and Forest Park, for which he is currently working on a range of projects to develop the Park as a major visitor destination, with the aim of increasing the number of visitors to Kielder from 220,000 currently to more than 350,000;
· The British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions, for which he completed an analysis in 2008 of the potential positive impact of lower VAT rates on the UK’s hotels and visitor attractions sector;
· The Hadrian’s Wall Partnership, which he advised on the potential economic impact and financial viability of the proposed development of a Roman archaeological site at Maryport in Cumbria in 2008;
· The Duke’s Theatre in Lancaster, which he assisted with regard to a turnaround strategy to secure the Theatre’s financial position and increase its self-generated revenues following a cut in its Arts Council grant in late 2007.
After serving as Managing Director of Caledonian Economics for ten years, from its incorporation through to achieving an annual turnover of £600,000, Michael sold his interest in the firm in 2007, and is now the Principal of his own consultancy practice, Nevin Associates Ltd.
Mike’s relevant publications include:
1. “Tourism policies in the European Community Member States” (with Gary Akehurst and Nigel Bland), International Journal of Hospitality Management, Vol 12, No 1, February 1993.
2. “Success Factors in European Tourism Policy”, Insights, September 1993.
3. “A Case Study in Policy Success : The Development of Irish Tourism since 1985″, Journal of Vacation Marketing, Vol 1, No 4, September 1995.
4. “Are high taxes damaging British tourism?” Journal of Vacation Marketing, Vol 5, No 1, January 1999.
A map showing the location of recent projects on which he has advised in the North East of England is presented overpage.