A popular British tourist destination has lost $170,000 worth of donations after banning cash.
Visitors to Bath’s Roman Baths are being banned from putting money inside the historic attraction and are being asked to make contactless payments instead.
But the move had devastating consequences.
The charity that runs the famous site banned the use of the wishing well in March 2022. Last fiscal year, it raised just $17,000 in donations despite welcoming 1 million visitors in 2023.
Visitors were greeted by a sign that read, “Please do not throw coins into the bath. Please make your offering by tapping the contactless point or using the cash box.”
The Roman Baths raised thousands of dollars by turning their pool into a wishing well. Photo via Getty Images
Prior to that, it raised nearly $200,000 from donations when it was fully open in 2018-2019, before the pandemic hit, including $170,000 from a 160-metre plunge pool that was converted into a wishing well to grant visitors.
Bath and North East Somerset Council said the decision to ban cash was due to a “significant decline in cash use” since the pandemic, but also due to concerns that its use was “starting to damage our 2,000-year-old heritage”.
It was also discovered that donating the coins was no longer viable, as the process of collecting them required a long time to drain the bathtub, wasting water, and some of the coins were “garbled” and could not be deposited in a bank.
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But campaign groups condemned the move, arguing cash remains a common way to make donations.
Martin Quinn, a spokesman for the campaign group Payment Choice Alliance, said people should have the right to choose how they donate.
“Children making wishes via contactless cards don’t have the same magical charm. This policy should be withdrawn immediately,” he told The Telegraph.
A popular tourist destination banned cash, causing more than $100,000 in damage to tourist facilities. Getty Images
“British people should have a choice about how they pay for their charitable donations.”
The historic site was founded in 70 AD and boasts some of the best-preserved Roman ruins in the world, and is Britain’s most popular tourist attraction after Stonehenge.
The site includes a sacred spring, a Roman temple, Roman baths and an associated museum.
Last year, just $4,500 was raised through contactless payments, down from $4,750 the year before.
Quinn called the cashless donations policy “totally insane.”
The Roman Baths are one of the best-preserved Roman ruins in the world. Photo via Getty Images
“The move towards a cashless society needs to stop. What’s next? The tooth fairy will become cashless,” he joked.
But a Bath and North East Somerset Council spokesman said the Roman Baths had said the tourist attraction generated more income than ever before from ticket sales and other activities last year.
“Furthermore, the protection and preservation of the Roman Baths, one of the world’s greatest historical sites, is also our priority,” they said.
“The tradition of throwing coins into the water was beginning to damage the structure of the 2,000-year-old Circular Baths and was putting the site at unnecessary risk.
A spokesman for the bus company claimed ticket sales at the attraction had increased from last year. Getty Images
“The management of waterlogged coins and the decline in cash use since the pandemic further supported our decision to look at other ways to encourage support.”
Australians have also expressed serious concerns about moving towards a cashless society.
Seven in 10 people say they are concerned, with two in five Australians very concerned about banknotes and coins becoming relics.
The survey found that 63 per cent of Australians are concerned the measures will increase economic inequality.
The survey also found that 58% of people are concerned about rising bank and card fees, and 42% do not trust financial services to operate ethically in a cashless society.
