Emotional Intelligence (EI) and TL (TL) capture the attention of many scholars and practitioners. This explanatory study analyzed the significance of EI on TL for tourism managers in Egypt. The paper empirically examined the influence of EI based on five constructs; self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. This study also tested TL using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ). Based on a quantitative study, 65 questionnaires were distributed by electronic survey. The results indicated that the EI positively relates to TL (i.e. inspirational motivation, idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration).