Tenby traders could be facing a business nosedive following Ironman Wales’ decision to bring the 2023 triathlon forward by a week to September 3.

As a result of the date change, the event will be held during the summer holidays, but traders fear this will deny them the opportunity to extend their season.

A later triathlon date helps boost trade for non-food businesses who tend to get overlooked during the Ironman weekend and also helps ease the high demand on tourist accommodation, which extends to the end of the summer holidays.

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“Virtually all the holiday accommodation will already be booked for September 3, which means that a large number of Ironman competitors and visitors will be unable to find anywhere to stay in the last week of August,” commented one of the town’s holiday operators.

Two of the town’s main private car parks – the Five Arches and the Seafront car park - will also be closed from Tuesday onwards as a result of Ironman Wales, which will further limit the amount of available car parking.

Meanwhile Tenby Town Council has confirmed that this isn’t the first time that Ironman Wales has been held on the first weekend in September.

“The date has to be set by the organiser’s calendar and also the tide dates, with the result that there isn’t another option. I know the date is earlier than normal but we have been assured that this will be a one-off.”

Pembrokeshire County Council announced last year that Ironman will remain a Pembrokeshire sporting fixture for a further five years, as a new host sponsorship agreement with Ironman Ltd up until 2026 was approved.