The growing influence of audiovisual media on destination image has positioned film-induced tourism as a strategic tool for the diversification and cultural repositioning of coastal destinations. This article examines the evolution of film‑induced tourism in Peñíscola (Valencian Community, Spain) as a key element in the transition from mass tourism models toward hybrid and culturally sustainable configurations. Through a qualitative case study, it explores the interaction between cultural identity, tourism governance, and technology in the destination’s transformation process. The research combined documentary analysis, empirical indicators, and interpretive methods to assess the integration of audiovisual heritage into tourism planning and its alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals. Findings revealed significant progress in digital innovation, product diversification, and community participation, alongside persistent challenges related to data interoperability, unequal benefit distribution, and institutional fragility. Moving beyond overly optimistic narratives of screen tourism, the study adopted a critical stance on its cultural sustainability, identifying risks of fictionalization and dependence on external imagery. Peñíscola thus emerges not as a fixed model but as an experimental site of creative governance, whose practices contribute to understanding the complex interrelations between art, territory, and sustainability in Mediterranean cultural destinations.