Leisure Industry Suffers Record Losses

ADMINIDOME, HOLOGRAM FUN WORLD – Last year, the queue for Hologram Fun World’s crowd-pleasing Anywhere Room attraction numbered thousands. Today, it is under 400 — a stark indicator of the economic hardships the galaxy’s leisure industry faces.

“It’s been a very tough first quarter for us,” admits HFW Administrator Graekus Shubelle. “We get attendants, but they’re mostly all from local space. No one seems to want to travel far from home these days. I’m confident, though, that the mid-year will be good to us, what with the kids out of school and wanting things to do,”

Shubelle’s optimism isn’t likely to spread through an industry closing up beachfront and vacation packages at a disturbing rate. The beaches of Amfar, usually filled with tourists year-round, are now empty. Resort staff outnumbers the vacationers.

“It’s dismal,” says resort owner Byll Shotaleve. “We’ve had to cancel over half of our planned activities due to small numbers. The redfish have reclaimed the northern beaches; they’re so empty.”

Aside from the redfish, the only ones not complaining are the few tourists found sunning themselves. “Oh, I wouldn’t say it’s all bad. After all, Milli and I get our pick of four or five waiters at a time, which I wouldn’t mind getting used to.” Said Huberdink Bufflin III, a tourist from Corluag.

The Core Worlds have primarily been insulated from the tourist drought, as witnessed by this year’s Spira Regatta, which drew record attendance at the start of the year. “The Regatta was an exception,” explains Tanda Merelle, senior correspondent for the Galactic Resorts newsnet. “It’s still inside the Core Worlds border. But if things keep going this way, the troubles hitting the Colonies and outward will also soon be here.”

In contrast to the struggling resorts, casinos are still pulling in big business, regardless of location. Kalasaad Woztu, Prime Minister of Vorzyd-5 is cagey when it comes to sharing business secrets, though. “I won’t pretend to know the deep-rooted sociological or psychological underpinnings of our success. Let’s face it. People in our sector feel lucky.”