River cruises along the Luxor and Nile in Egypt are being "tarred with the same brush" as Cairo by prospective holidaymakers, despite being as far away from the political turmoil that is currently gripping the capital as the where it is business as usual for the most part.

That is according to Discover Egypt director Philip Breckner, who told Travel Weekly that negative media reports about the state of affairs in Egypt are to blame for the fact that the cruise operator is running trips that are half full, despite the fact that they have been in full swing since the travel ban was lifted in November.

He said that headlines about the violence in Cairo have put many consumers off from the idea of visiting Egypt, leaving them nervous about booking cruises in the region.

This is despite the fact that "luxor and Aswan are just as far away from Cairo as Hurghada and Sharm el-Shekih, if not further". However he added: "They are continuously tarred with the same brush. People think about Luxor in the same way as they do about Cairo.

"But life is going on as normal in upper Egypt and there have been little or hardly any incidents there throughout the troubles, including during the revolution in 2011," Mr Breckner said.

"We had customers coming off a cruise on Monday and staying in Cairo for three days this week. Safety and security are of paramount importance to us."

In order to ensure peace of mind among prospective cruise travellers thinking of booking, Discover Egypt is guaranteeing that its weekly cruise trips will go ahead as planned, even if only a few cabins have been sold.

Egypt has already been an incredibly popular destination among cruise operators and passengers. Would you be confident to visit areas of the country away from Cairo given the political rumblings coming out of the capital?