The primary attraction of Hawaii as a visitor destination has always been its natural environment — the beaches in particular show up on virtually every tourist brochure.

The mountains and upland areas, with their lush trails, always have been a part of the picture, too, but more recently they have particularly begun to show the effects of steadily increasing arrival counts over the past several years.

The impact on the ever-popular Manoa Falls Trail has flashed as a warning sign that the upkeep of such natural resources must become a priority concern for government agencies and elected officials whenever the allocation of state funds is at issue.

It is also an indicator of how resource protection must continue to rank highly on the job list of the Hawaii Tourism Authority. That agency has made a welcome course adjustment in its mission: maintaining the health of the natural environment is key to visitor satisfaction and to the enjoyment of resident nature-lovers — and at least as important as marketing the state as a destination.

Manoa Falls is the most popular trail in the state’s trail system, dubbed Na Ala Hele. It’s now averaging about 200,000 hikers annually, and its condition is becoming a worry.

Not only is the trail slippery and eroded in some areas, there are now repairs needed to the staircase leading to the waterfall viewing area and other parts of the trek.

So, with an infusion of funds from the HTA, that trail will get some TLC — and a needed break from the traffic from tourists and kamaaina alike.

Beginning July 15, the state will close the trail weekdays, every other week, for four months. This shutdown is essential to enable the completion of a $136,000 renovation, half of it coming from the HTA, through its Aloha ‘Aina Program. The program also has provided grants toward efforts combating vandalism at the historical ruins of the King Kamehameha III summer palace, Kaniakapupu.

The program’s source of funds is the transient accommodations tax, or TAT. Following a combative debate in the 2018 legislative session and a state audit critical of HTA’s overall performance, the rebalancing of the agency’s budget to direct more funds in this way is well-founded.

A list of 24 organizations receiving Aloha ‘Aina grants totaling $1.12 million is on the HTA website (hawaiitourismauthority.org/what-we-do/hta-programs/natural-resources/).

Last year’s conflict was generated in part by the audit, which largely faulted the agency for lax oversight of contractors and shifting budget lines to cope with a statutory cap on administrative expeditures.

But the larger consequence of the debate over the HTA budget was a discussion within tourism committees at the Legislature about diverting agency funds to deal with negative impacts of tourism growth. Ultimately the budget sustained cuts and there was an overhaul of the agency’s top management.

HTA statistics on visitor arrivals from the major Hawaii markets show the counts holding steady or rising over the past decade. The trendlines of visitors from the U.S. western states, where residents may find Hawaii more economically within reach, showing an especially steady rise.

This is evident in the increasingly crowded beaches, notably in resort areas, but tourists no longer feel as limited to long-established visitor attractions. The internet and especially the popularity of social media have turbocharged what used to be word-of-mouth recommendations, and formerly local enclaves are now known to all.

On top of the expanded publicity channels, younger tourist groups are more interested in off-the-beaten-path attractions than they once were. Adventure tourism has been on the rise, and tourists have the expectation that Hawaii can deliver satisfying experiences of the natural environment.

The most recent visitor-satisfaction data show that hiking ranks among the more popular activities. The most recent visitor satisfaction report prepared for HTA in the fourth quarter of 2018 shows hiking and/or camping to be a chosen activity for about 30-34% of American tourists.

Plainly, marketing has worked in that regard. The HTA report “Hawai‘i Marketing Effectiveness” for 2015-2018, shows that the islands have a reputation for outdoors activities.

“While there is variance among the markets, most have the consistent impression that Hawai‘i has quality state/national parks and beaches and that the state delivers high levels of recreational activities (including water sports, zip lining, snorkeling, hiking, biking, etc.),” according to the report.

So they are going to continue to come. The bottom line, for Hawaii officials dealing with natural resources as well as tourism, is that the state must ramp up its protections for its trails and other eco-tourism attractions.

The steps taken for Manoa Falls are encouraging, and the state should take stock of other scenic treasures that would be deserving of the same treatment.