In recent years, rapid technological changes and the global COVID-19 pandemic have significantly transformed tourism. Providers of tourism services and experiences have adapted their offerings by expanding physical experiences into digital and virtual environments. The metaverse is increasingly mentioned as the latest disruptive technology that will enable immersive tourism experiences simultaneously in virtual and physical environments. The purpose of this study is to provide a systematic review of empirical research on tourism experience based on 261 papers published in 6 leading tourism journals between 2019 and 2023. Using the Web of Science database, papers on the topic of tourism experience were selected and analysed through bibliometric analysis and content analysis. Special focus of the thematic analysis was placed on highlighting differences in the conceptualization and measurement of tourism experience in physical and virtual environments. The results of this study provide a comprehensive insight into previous research on tourism experience and provide guidelines for future research.