We want to say a very big thank you for reading Tropic Now.
That's our humble message to TropicNow.com.au readers after you helped set a new record for our highest monthly traffic since our launch in 2016.
For the very first time, the total monthly page views on TropicNow.com.au were higher than News Corp's The Cairns Post, an achievement our small local team is proud of.
TropicNow.com.au recorded just over 229,000 page views during February, fuelled by major stories on youth crime, coronavirus and an amazing crocodile video, alongside our popular lists and guides on events and food.
That significant monthly milestone of 229,000 page views on Tropic Now compares to 206,000 page views for The Cairns Post in December and 205,000 in November, the most recent statistics available.
Our February page view total continues strong growth for our online audience alongside the increase in our print run for Tropic Magazine.
Our online audience grew from 471,000 page views in 2018 to 835,000 in 2019. Our team has set a target to reach one million page views this year.
According to readership data by Ipsos and Nielson, online traffic on The Cairns Post dropped from 277,000 readers in December 2018 to 206,000 in December 2019, along with a decline of 12,000 readers of its print newspaper readership during the same period.
"We're very humbled by the support of the Cairns community, as well as increased readership from across Australia and internationally," Tropic Group's managing director and editor Gavin King said.
"It shows that the community want an engaging mix of sensible, informative reporting on important issues like the economy, crime and health as well as lifestyle content like our foodie lists and Tropic Weekender events guide."
As part of a Federal Government program to support independent regional publishers like Tropic Group, our online site TropicNow.com.au will undergo a redesign in coming months, along with the employment of an additional journalist to expand our daily news coverage.
