In contemporary tourism marketing, the relationship between tourists and destinations has become a defining theme, shaped by key concepts such as attachment, satisfaction, trust, and loyalty. Rooted in both relationship marketing and environmental psychology especially the idea of place attachment this field has grown steadily but remains fragmented in its theoretical foundations, explored dimensions, and research methods. This article offers a systematic and bibliometric review of international studies on the tourist–destination relationship from 2000 to 2024. Drawing on data from the Web of Science and Scopus, and analyzed using VOSviewer and Bibliometrix, our findings show that the field is progressively organizing itself around three interconnected domains: emotional (attachment, satisfaction), cognitive (trust, image), and behavioral (intention, loyalty). We identify the main theoretical frameworks, pinpoint emerging directions, and outline promising areas for future research, with a particular focus on integrating diverse approaches and embracing the cultural variety of the contexts under study.