9th World Conference for Graduate Research in Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure: 184-188. 6 – 11 June 2017, Cartagena, Spain Printed in Turkey. All rights reserved ISBN: 978-605-65762-8-7 A culinary tourism innovation: The fourth wave of coffee Uğur Kaçan Piri Reis University, Turkey E-mail: ukacan@pirireis.edu.tr Hasan Hüseyin Erdoğan Piri Reis University, Turkey E-mail: herdogan@pirireis.edu.tr INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study is to suggest an alternative type of tourism: The fourth- wave of coffee. For this reason, the literature on the evolution of coffee products, processes and services related to coffee was reviewed. A case study approach was applied by observing the coffee houses and coffee producing places and interview- ing customers, managers and producers. As conclusion, a coffee based tourism type, as well as its possible production, marketing, and human resource manage- ment principles, is proposed. To summarize the evolution of coffee based commercial applications, the litera- ture uses Dzwavesdz approach. )t is claimed that the coffee had three movements (waves) through it is commercial and cultural existence. During these waves cof- fee transformed many times in terms of its brewing process and socio-cultural meaning. In this paper, it is suggested that the fourth wave of coffee has a potential to become an effective tourism type. In the following sections, the reason behind this suggestion and how to manage this proposed newly tourism type are ex- plained. LITERATURE REVIEW Coffee has been a vital drink for five hundred years and still playing a vital role in human life. Some researchers claim that first coffeehouses were opened in Damas- cus, Syria while others believe that they firstly appeared in Kiva (an İstanbul, Turkey in the late 15th century. In Cairo, too, it is asserted that there were re- markable coffee houses (Standage, 2006). No matter where it existed first, it can be concluded that coffee has had a place in people’s everyday life for a long time. )t