The emergence of the metaverse as an immersive virtual ecosystem is revolutionizing digital tourism, offering new opportunities for virtual travel, cultural exploration, smart destination marketing, and hybrid tourist experiences. This research examines the evolution of metaverse travel experiences, their technological foundations, consumer acceptance, economic potential, and challenges. A mixed-method study involving surveys (N=520), in-depth interviews with tourism technologists (N=20), and analysis of 15 ongoing metaverse tourism projects shows that the metaverse enhances experiential value, accessibility, and destination representation. However, barriers include technological inequality, authenticity concerns, data privacy risks, and the blurring boundary between virtual and physical tourism. The paper concludes that the metaverse will not replace physical travel but complement it through hybrid tourism models, immersive pre-visit planning, enhanced storytelling, virtual simulations, and inclusive access for global audiences.