Iceland review - 2016, Page 107

ICELAND REVIEW 105 104 ICELAND REVIEW
INVEST IN ICELAND
SPECIAL PROMOTION
CREDIT AGENCIES MORE POSITIVE
International credit ratings agencies have
been decidedly positive about Iceland’s
economic outlook. In January, Standard &
Poor’s (S&P) bumped Iceland’s credit rating
up by one notch to BBB+ and said that the
outlook for Iceland is “stable.” In a state-
ment, S&P said that the upgrade “reflects
our expectation that general government
debt will continue to decline over the next
four years, lowering government expendi-
ture on interest payments.” Fitch Ratings
agency in January maintained its rating for
Iceland at BBB+.
CONTINUED TOURISM GROWTH
Tourism continues to grow in Iceland and is
the single biggest contributor to Iceland’s
exports. “We have great hopes that in the
next few years this sector will continue to
grow,” says Páll. “We are hoping to attract
companies like local hotel chains and large
tour operators. It would be very interesting
to see tourism-related companies enter the
market to a greater degree.”
business.nasdaq.com
Páll Harðarson, president of Nasdaq Iceland.