Potential Immigrants: The Interface Between Tourism and Immigration in Israel

Impressive advances have been made recently in the attempt to redefine the delicate boundary area between the types of mobility which characterise the tourist, on the one hand, and the migrant, on the other (Williams and Hall, 2000; Bell and Ward, 2000). Despite these advances the boundary line seems to be elusive when examined in terms of the specifics of individual countries. Economic, political and cultural realities in different countries exceed most theoretically and conceptually derived classifications. Government officials and legislators have been highly innovative in defining new statuses for groups of people targeted as desirable migrants or visitors to their respective countries. This article presents one such elusive case — the status of a potential immigrant — introduced by the State of Israel in 1969.