A popular tourist attraction in the UK has learned a painful lesson about the value of taking cash as a business.
The historic Roman Baths, located in Bath, Somerset, have existed for thousands of years and were traditionally a meeting place for locals during the time of Roman rule over Britain.
Today, the baths are no longer used for their original purpose and are instead a popular tourist attraction.
For decades, visitors to the baths were encouraged to toss a coin into the baths for good luck, with all the money going towards the upkeep of the baths themselves. It was a good system, and netted the charitable trust around $200,000 each year.
But the Bath and Somerset Council, the government entity ultimately responsible for the baths, decided to ban the practice of throwing coins into the water in 2022, citing health and environmental concerns. Instead, visitors are now encouraged to make a donation via card payment.
I’m sure you can see where this is going. The most recent financial reports from the Roman Baths trusts shows that in the past 12 months, just $17,000 in donations have been received.
Despite the shocking drop in donations, Bath and Somerset Council insist it was the right move, and that any funding shortfalls have been made up by increased income from ticket sales.
“In addition our priority is to care for and conserve the Roman Baths, one of the world’s great historic sites,” a spokesperson for the council said.
“The tradition of throwing coins into the water had begun to damage the 2000-year-old structure of the circular bath, putting the monument at unnecessary risk.”
That may be so, but I can’t help but feel they’re leaving a lot of money on the table (or is that in the bath?)
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