Holiday Ayo - Throwing coins to make wishes was a tourist attraction at the British Roman baths. Implementing cashless, this tourist spot lost IDR 2.7 billion. 

Reporting from News.com.au on Monday (8/7), that place is the Roman Baths in Somerset, England. Since March 2022, the charitable organization behind the site has banned the use of wishing wells, where visitors throw coins. 

Visitors to the bathhouse are instead asked to make cashless donations. This certainly makes visitors uncomfortable.

Instead of making a profit, the bathhouse became a loss. $200,000 of donations when it was fully open between 2018 and 2019 before the pandemic hit. 

The 1.6 m high bathhouse which has been converted into a wishing well for visitors raised $170,000 or IDR 2.7 billion. 

The decision to ban cash was made due to a significant decline in cash use since the pandemic. In addition, the organization is also concerned that the submerged coins are starting to damage the 2,000-year-old structure. 

What's worse, these coins are no longer suitable because the draining process takes a long time, thus wasting water. 

Meanwhile, some coins are damaged and cannot be stored in the bank. However, campaign groups condemned the move and said cash was still a common way to make donations. 

A spokesman for the Payment Choice Alliance campaign group, Martin Quinn, said people should be given a choice about how they donate. 

“A child making a wish with a contactless card doesn't have the same magical appeal, this policy should be reversed immediately," he told The Telegraph. 

“The British public should be given the freedom to choose payments when it comes to charitable giving." 

On the other hand, a spokesperson for Bath and North East Somerset Council said in the last financial year the attraction had generated more income from ticket sales and other activities than ever before. 

“In addition, our priority is to care for and preserve the Roman Baths, one of the world's greatest historic sites," they said. 

“The tradition of throwing coins into the water has begun to damage the 2000-year-old circular bathing structure, putting the monument at unnecessary risk. Managing water-damaged coins and the post-pandemic decline in cash use further supports our decision to look for other ways to drive support." 

This historic site has some of the best-preserved Roman ruins in the world, dating back to AD 70 and is Britain's most popular attraction after Stonehenge.