Low cost travel & tourism are _not_ rights. They're privileges. Seems fair to include negative externalities in the cost. If that excludes some people, so be it. They can travel closer to home.
- lottery (example: powerball)
- waiting list (case: Alcatraz, Coachella)
- application based on xx criteria (case: Antarctica?)
or... a combination of the five (price being #5). In most of these cases, money is still involved. Why? I think it's b/c it takes funding to administer, maintain, and improve the attractions. So maybe pricing isn't the only option.
These are at least fair relative to wealth / income.
And are frequently used for access to overutilised natural areas (e.g., lotteries, day-of-activity permits, waitlists).
Though the question about fairness of price-based rationing still hasn't been answered ;-)
This is not a whataboutism either, unless you can put that label on trying to focus on major showstoppers that bring whole system down before light cosmetic defects.
There's a difference between addressing greater wrongs, and questioning the creation of yet another instance.