(CNN) — The world-famous Ha'ikū Stairs along Oahu's Ko'olau mountain range, known as the "Stairway to Heaven," has been closed to the public since 1991, but you wouldn't know that from Instagram.
And despite the $250,000 a year the Honolulu Board of Water Supply spends to keep people out of the area, roughly 4,000 hikers still access the stairs annually, to the detriment of the local residents, whose properties are trespassed, and to the board's customers, who are footing the bill.
It's one of many examples of how tourism promotion, which has historically marketed Hawaii as a playground full of escapist pleasures, has backfired. Now, Hawaii must course correct. Seeking more responsible guests, the industry is looking for a bit of restraint -- and deference.
