The Sky Ute Casino Resort is collaborating with the Colorado Tourism Office, a division of the Governor’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade, to help host a Television Niigata Network crew from Japan.

The crew will arrive in Denver Tuesday, March 5 and depart from Durango Monday, March 11.

The casino will welcome the three-member television crew on Saturday, March 9. The crew includes Nobuyuki Nishikata, president and director of TV Niigata, and will produce a television segment on its “Backpacker” program, which focuses on world heritage sites’ tradition and culture, including gourmet food.

The program is slated to air Sunday, March 31 to nearly 80,000 households in Tokyo. This is the start of Japanese media covering the inaugural flight on United Airlines’ non-stop route from Tokyo to Denver.

Barbara Bustillos Cogswell, the casino’s group sales coordinator, traveled with the Denver-based Colorado Tourism Office staff in late October 2012 on a weeklong “Japan Sales Mission.” Cogswell was selected by Michael Driver, director of international marketing and public relations, to help promote Colorado, along with tourism representatives from Denver, Aspen and Vail.

Cogswell had the opportunity to share tourism information around the Four Corners area and promote the rich culture of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe.

The Japanese crew’s visit will include trips to Mesa Verde and the Southern Ute Cultural Center & Museum. The crew will also visit Cortez and ride the Durango Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad.