The Nepal Tourism Board has a tough task in promoting Nepal as a safe tourist destination, and it is only getting harder. But it is getting a little help from friends. The star attraction at the Nepal Stall at the recent Caravan Motor Tourism Fair in Stuttgart, Germany, was renowned Italian climber Reinhold Messner, who reassured scores of visitors that Nepal is, indeed, safe. Some 1,370 exhibitors from 88 countries took part in the fair, and more than 200,000 people visited. If German spending in international travel increases by just 2-3 percent in 2002, as experts predict it will, we can only hope that some of it will come our way. After all, what better way of restoring some degree of confidence in Nepal-wary tourists than by roping in Messner, who is also a member of the European Parliament in Strasbourg and Brussels.