SYDNEY, Australia — Visitors to Uluru, a giant sandstone slab jutting from the central Australian desert, have for decades ignored a sign at the rock’s base that politely reads: “Please don’t climb.”

On Wednesday, the board members of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, which manages the popular site also known as Ayers Rock, said they would soon stop requesting that hikers respect the landmark. Instead, they will demand it.

Beginning in 2019, climbing Uluru, which is considered sacred to the region’s indigenous Anangu people, will be banned, the board said.

“It is an extremely important place,” said Sammy Wilson, an Indigenous community representative who sits on the park’s board and is what is known as a traditional owner. Uluru, he said, is “not a theme park like Disneyland.”