Thailand Declares the IMF Meetings Fully Ready: 15,000-Plus Head to Bangkok as More Heavy Rain Is Forecast for October 10–11
BANGKOK — Thai officials announced on October 10 that preparations for the 2026 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank are complete. The meetings run from October 12 to 18 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC), with more than 15,000 participants from 191 countries expected. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva arrived in Bangkok on October 9, was welcomed at Suvarnabhumi Airport by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Ekniti Nitithanprapas, and toured the venue with media.
The meetings are Thailand's showcase to global investors. A red-carpet fast track and traditional Thai welcome await guests; Bangkok Metropolitan Administration offices will work from home on October 12, 14 and 15 to ease traffic (October 13 is already a holiday), and October 16 has been declared a special government and bank holiday. Security covers the venue and 21 official hotels, some 500 tourist police will serve in multiple languages, and more than 320 electric vehicles will run shuttles. Estimated spending gains are put at 1.05–2.25 billion baht. Visiting leaders include Swiss President Guy Parmelin — the first Swiss president to visit Thailand in 22 years — and Singapore President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
Arriving with the readiness announcement was a weather warning: forecasters expect thunderstorms over Bangkok and the central region on October 10–11, and a flood warning has been issued for the capital. The floods since September 16 have killed at least 60 people (as of October 7), and car plants including Toyota's have only just resumed work this week.
For the coming week, Bangkok must switch between two states: host to global finance's biggest gathering, and a city still draining floodwater under fresh rain. For residents and Chinese-community businesses alike, meetings week is both a peak business week and a week when travel needs extra planning; official daily disaster and traffic bulletins will reach everyone at once.
Sources: Compiled from Reuters (October 10, 2026) and the Thai News Agency's October 10 readiness briefing.
Source: 路透社
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：曼谷诗丽吉王后国家会展中心内景。摄影：กสิณธร ราชโอรส，CC BY-SA 4.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons
