NAIROBI - Kenya's earnings from tourism surged 83% in 2022 to 268 billion shillings ($2.13 billion) as the sector continued to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic slump, a senior tourism official said on Wednesday.

Earnings are projected to rise to 425 billion shillings this year, David Gitonga, the chief executive of the state Tourism Research Institute, told a news briefing, before increasing to 540 billion shillings in 2027.

($1 = 125.9500 Kenyan shillings)

( (Reporting by Duncan Miriri; Editing by Himani Sarkar)