The door-slam drama of the move, however, was dampened by the fact that formal withdrawal takes a year, so the vote went ahead. It "far exceeded" the minimum two-thirds majority from the 99 countries present, said an official statement.
The consequences will be immediate but likely just symbolic for Russia.
What will Russia lose by leaving?
According to UNWTO, which promotes responsible, sustainable and accessible tourism, Russia will lose "with immediate effect its rights and privileges as part of the United Nations specialized agency."
The country will no longer receive services or technical assistance from the organisation and cannot participate or vote at meetings or events.
Does actually this change anything for Russia?
Not really, at least in Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov's opinion.
"The tourism sector, especially that for domestic tourism, will continue its development," Peskov told reporters. "The external directions for tourism are also open, hinging on questions of competition in terms of quality and price," he said.
Why does the suspension still matter?
This makes UNTWO the first UN agency to address Russia's membership. The successful motion is one secretary-general Pololikashvili hopes will set a precedent for other international organisations.
Already, the UN General Assembly voted to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council earlier this month in response to the human rights abuses in Ukraine. In a similar move, Moscow announced it was quitting.
Other UN culture and heritage bodies have sanctioned Russia over the Ukraine Crisis. A UNESCO heritage meeting that was to be chaired in the Kazan, in June, was postponed by Russia last week. France and other counties have asked that the summit be taken from Russia - whose war has caused suffering and "considerable damage" to Ukraine.
There are 30 sites on the UNESCO heritage list in the Russian Federation, which has received US$300,000 in UN aid to maintain them.
