Stairway to Heaven set to be permanently removed

Hawaii's "stairway to heaven," which has attracted crowds of tourists for years despite an official ban, will now be removed.

Honolulu authorities made this decision due to an increase in the number of irresponsible tourists who ignored the bans and put themselves and others at risk in an attempt to get the "best shot" for their social media.

As it turned out, not only human safety is at risk here - the removal of the stairs may pose a serious threat to local flora and fauna, and the cost of the entire project will exceed $2.5 million.

According to CNN, the "stairway to heaven," which was built on the island in the 1940s, has been officially closed to visitors since 1987. Despite this, neither bans nor fences stopped tourists. In 2021, Honolulu authorities decided to remove the stairs, but have only now begun to implement this plan.

Honolulu mayor, Rick Blangiardi, emphasised in a statement that the decision to remove the stairs was not whimsical.

"The decision was made out of our respect for the people living near the entrance to the stairs... and our respect for both the future and past cultural history of the Haiku community," he explained.

Social media, especially TikTok, is responsible for the increase in the popularity of stairs. Influencers, ignoring warnings and prohibitions, entered the trail to show their followers spectacular shots of the popular attraction. On the way to the stairs, they often violated the privacy of residents, crossing their properties and destroying local vegetation.

However, removing the stairs will not be an easy task. Authorities plan to work with biologists to protect native species and prevent erosion. If necessary, the damaged areas will be replanted with native plant species.

Despite this, the cost of the entire project will be over $2.5 million, which shows how high the price the community has to pay for the irresponsible behaviour of tourists.

This article was originally published on Onet Travel.