India, June 11 -- Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has sparked discussion online after claiming that Thailand is cheaper for tourists to visit than India, despite the Southeast Asian nation having a higher per capita income. Speaking at a fireside chat with members of the Indian diaspora in Thailand, Tharoor described the situation as a "bit ironic" and argued that India needs to rethink its approach to tourism if it wants to attract more international visitors.

"Thailand is historically very much cheaper to visit for a tourist than India is. And that's a bit ironic because in many ways your per capita income is higher than ours, so we should actually be cheaper than you," Tharoor said.

The Congress leader said that affordability was just one...