Tourists won't stop visiting a forbidden WWII-era landmark even as it's being destroyed due to over-tourism
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- The Haiku Stairs in Oahu, Hawaii, have long attracted tourists who hike them illegally.
- Officials decided to remove the landmark, popularized by social media, due to over-tourism concerns.
- Five people were arrested last week as visitors flock to see the stairs before they're gone.
At least five people have been arrested, and dozens more issued warnings as tourists flock to a World War II-era landmark in Hawaii that is being destroyed due to over-tourism.
The Haiku Stairs, also known as the Stairway to Heaven, climb nearly 4,000 steps along a ridge in the Koʻolau mountains on the island of Oahu. The US Navy built the steep metal stairway — which leads to the top of a 2,800-foot peak — during World War II to reach a naval radio station.
Though previously open to hikers who obtained permits, the Haiku Stairs were fully closed to the public in 1987. However, some people continued to hike the stairs illegally.
In recent years, videos posted on TikTok and Instagram of people illegally climbing the stairs — and instructing others on how to get to them — made the location even more popular with tourists.
In August 2021, the Honolulu City Council voted to remove the Haiku Stairs despite resistance from some community members advocating for the structure's preservation. Reasons for their removal included illegal trespassing on the stairs, disruptions to locals, and liability for the city.
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When Hawaii officials announced the removal of the Haiku Stairs would begin in April, it set off another influx of visitors scrambling to visit them before they were gone for good.
On April 23, the Honolulu Police Department arrested five people for trespassing at the stairs and issued 11 citations, local Hawaii News Now reported. Another 60 people were given warnings, according to CNN.
The Honolulu Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for more information from Business Insider.
The stair removal project is set to cost over $2.5 million and take at least six months.
People illegally hiking the stairs have required risky rescues in the past. A woman and her dog were rescued in September after falling 50 feet while hiking the Haiku Stairs trail.
In October 2022, local outlet KHON2 reported 118 people had been rescued on the Haiku Stairs since 2010.