Emotional intelligence (EI) is being recognized as a correlate of success in various domains of personal
and professional life. The aim of this study is to generate and evaluate a shortened Chinese version of the
Emotional Skills Assessment Process-Condensed Version (ESAP-CV) instrument for tour guides. Two
stages with a total sample of 660 tour guides were conducted. The first sample (N ¼ 260) was to develop
the brief version through various deletion criteria, and the second sample (N ¼ 400) was to examine
factor structure, reliability, and validity of the short form through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The
results indicate that the reliable and valid 35-item version (ESAP-CV-35), reduced from 104 items,
captures the multidimensional nature of EI in six subscales. It offers tourism researchers a promising tool
for conducting further EI-related research in a timely, effective and easily-administered manner.