In the presence of the Acting President of King Khalid University, Prof. Saad bin Mohammed bin Dajam, the university hosted the "Asir: A Global Culinary Region" seminar, organized by the Culinary Arts Authority of the Ministry of Culture. The seminar coincided with Asir's win of the World Culinary Award for 2024 from the World Culinary Organization. The event was held at the Exhibition and Conference Center at the university campus in Al-Fara’a, and was attended by more than 25 experts and specialists in the field of culinary arts from 15 different countries.

In his speech, bin Dajam explained the leading role King Khalid University plays as a vital strategic partner for many public and private sector institutions. He added, "With great pride, the university is the first Saudi university to align its strategy with the region's development strategy and Saudi Vision 2030. He added, "the College of Tourism and Hospitality is a developing model in building exceptional programs that grant diplomas, bachelor's, and master's degrees to cover Saudi tourism’s future needs.”

Dr. Riham Mashat, Dean of the College of Tourism and Hospitality at King Khalid University, confirmed the strategic bond between the college and Asir’s Development Strategy, in line with Saudi Vision 2030, which led to the region’s win of the World Culinary Award for 2024. Pointing out that this is the first award granted by the World Culinary Institute to a country outside Europe.

Dr. Mashat explained that this achievement highlights the leading role of the College of Tourism and Hospitality in building sustainable strategic partnerships to provide job opportunities and empower youths’ innovative projects, which enrich the region's economy. She added that developing efforts and cooperation between educational institutions in the public and private sectors renews knowledge, narrows the gap, and refines skills.

It is worth noting that the seminar, accompanying programs, and events will be held over the span of 5 days at the university.