Honest, officer, I’m a big boy now. I can do it all by myself… but the Tourist Police officer seemed less certain, as he walked me to the public toilet in Cairo’s bustling Khan el-Khalili quarter and positioned himself outside the cubicle.

Governments urge us to ‘reconsider our need’ to visit Egypt. But unsettled times, when package tours retreat to more predictable destinations, are often precisely when more discriminating travellers can be assured of the warmest welcome – and the most assiduous concern for their safety. Following the 1997 terrorist attacks at major monuments in southern Egypt, troops began to escort each and every tour group and the same concern remains evident in security measures which continue to this day.

Since the ‘Arab Spring’ upheaval spread across North Africa in January 2011, Egypt’s centuries-old tourist industry has struggled to dispel images of erupting gunfire, wafting tear gas and blood spilling on the streets around Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo. By November I found that visitor numbers, whilst definitely reduced from previous highs, were by no means decimated. The Pyramids, St Catherine’s Monastery, the Valley of the Kings… all bustled with tourists. Were these people really taking undue risks?

These images were taken in November 2011 with Nikon D300 using RAW format, and are available for licensing. Please visit www.travelgame.org or my blog.