Roman Baths development
Roman Baths development on track
February 2010
Bath and North East Somerset Council’s 5 year
development plan for the Roman Baths reached another milestone this
week with the opening of the refurbished and expanded Roman Baths
shop.
The Council run Roman Baths are one of the top
tourist attractions in the country, with the ‘stay-cation’
phenomenon in 2009 boosting visitor numbers up 5% on 2008. The
refurbishment of the shop will help to accommodate large numbers of
visitors at peak times, as well as improving access for disabled
visitors. It forms part of the 5 year Roman Baths development plan
which is designed to increase visitor numbers and boost revenue
which benefits local taxpayers across the whole district. The
Council’s Heritage Services makes a surplus of over £3m each year
which is reinvested in other frontline Council services such as
street cleaning, libraries and waste services.
Cllr Terry Gazzard, the Council's Cabinet
Member for Tourism Leisure and Culture said:
"This is the first time in ten years that we
have refurbished the Roman Baths Shop. We owe it to our visitors
from Bath, the UK and abroad to provide the excellent shopping
experience that they expect when visiting historic sites. The
income from the Roman Baths and shop helps to pay for ongoing
improvements to the attraction and also to keep the Council Tax
down."
Improvements that have already taken place as
part of the Roman Baths Development include the cleaning of the
Great Bath, the introduction of new visitor displays and
interpretation at the Roman Baths and the refurbishment of the
small shop at the heart of the museum.
For more information about the Roman Baths
visit http://www.romanbaths.co.uk/ or
call 01225 477785.