The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly disrupted global tourism, with coastal and nature-based destinations particularly affected due to the disproportionate impacts resulting from their dependence on seasonal international markets, fragile local economies, and ecological sensitivity. These destinations revealed structural vulnerabilities—such as overreliance on mass tourism and limited crisis governance—and opportunities for transformation toward regenerative, community-centered, and digitally enabled tourism models. This study employs a mixed-methods design that integrates bibliometric mapping and a systematic literature review (SLR), following the PRISMA 2020 protocol. A corpus of 49 peer-reviewed articles (2020–2025) indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection was analyzed using Biblioshiny (R-Bibliometrix) and VOSviewer to examine scientific production, collaboration networks, co-citation structures, and thematic evolution. Results identify five thematic clusters: (1) community perception and social sustainability; (2) governance and tourism recovery policies; (3) tourist behavior, risk perception, and loyalty; (4) resilience and domestic tourism; and (5) sustainability values and methodological innovation. The conceptual synthesis demonstrates that perceived risk and trust influence satisfaction and loyalty, reinforcing behavioral resilience and sustainable practices. The temporal evolution of research reveals a transition from short-term crisis responses (2020–2021) to adaptive governance and transformation-oriented models (2023–2025), emphasizing digital innovation and sustainability integration. Theoretically, this study bridges micro-level behavioral constructs with macro-level sustainability governance, while, methodologically, it validates the complementarity of bibliometric and systematic approaches. From a managerial perspective, findings underline that digital engagement, local participation, and sustainability-oriented governance are foundational to rebuilding resilient tourism systems in post-pandemic coastal contexts.