The Philippine government hopes to reap the benefits of this pent up demand for international travel.

HNN visited one of the world’s largest parol makers to learn about the art.

The first 15 workers were young men from Candon City in Ilocos Sur in the northern part of the Philippines.

About 85 percent of the Filipinos in Hawaii are Ilocano, meaning they trace their roots to the Ilocos region in northern Philippines – mainly the provinces of Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur.

Hawaii entrepreneurship is driving growth in the Philippine economy. The exact economic impact is not known as most entrepreneurs typically start micro and small businesses in local provinces that are hard to track. But the Hawaii Filipino Chamber says its investment rate is about 10% from trade missions.

For many Filipino immigrants, achieving success in Hawaii means sharing their blessings with people back in their Philippine homeland.

Clark Air Base, about a two hour drive north of Manila, is a perfect example.

Mama Sita's exports sauces, marinades, spices and meal kits to Hawaii and about 80 countries and has been promoting Filipino heritage cooking for more than four decades.

Nobel Peace Prize winning journalist Maria Ressa says her fight for press freedom in the Philippines reflects a larger trend happening across the world -- where dictators are weaponizing social media to uproot democracy.

One important Filipino cultural tradition is to bring back pasalubong -- or gifts from your travels. In Hawaii and Japanese culture, it’s called omiyage.