It may seem small-minded to think of the travel and tourism business when a country’s future is at stake. The scenes of revolution being acted out live on TV in Tahrir Square in Cairo are of great concern on a geo-political as well as at a social and human level. Few observers will have failed to be impressed by the scale of the protests in Egypt in recent days. When the state appeared to sanction the involvement of demonstrators in favour of the embattled dictator, leading to running battles in the square and beyond, one couldn’t help but be fearful for those involved in the protests.

Egypt should be enjoying the height of the tourist season. The Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Nile cruises, the Aswan Dam, the vast ancient burial grounds at Saqqara and the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, all should be teeming before temperatures get too high for most tourists’ comfort in late spring. Each year around 12m tourists visit Egypt. The sector employs 12% of the country’s workforce and accounts for around 6% of Egypt’s GDP. But one day last week about 18,000 westerners were involved in chaotic scenes when they tried to flee the country through Cairo airport.

But with the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) guidance advising against travel to Cairo, Luxor, Alexandria and Suez, in keeping with agencies across the world, much of Egypt's tourism industry has been frozen for many days. Look for packages to Egypt and you’ll find some amazing bargains, but the fact is that with FCO advisories in place, UK tourists to these areas would find their travel insurance invalidated if they tried to claim for accident, illness or losses incurred on a trip.

All told the crisis is estimated to be costing the country $310m per day. And while, the human aspect to the story is compelling, once the country returns to stability, Egypt will face severe problems rebuilding its tourist sector and overall economy. By then the TV crews and journalists are likely to be distant memories. The revolution may be televised, but the recovery may not.