Sundance festival makes big economic impact

The 2011 Sundance Film Festival had a $70 million economic impact on Utah — including $5.9 million in tax revenue — according to a report released Tuesday by the Sundance Institute. The annual event, held in January for 10 days in Park City, Ogden, Salt Lake City and at the Sundance Resort, brings a tourism boom and world-wide media attention to the state. According to the report — conducted by the University of Utah's Bureau of Economic and Business Research — an estimated 45,797 people attended the 2011 festival, up 11 percent from 2010. Of that number, 30,596 came from outside of Utah. Deseret News