What better way to use your holiday time, than to support an initiative to get a country back on its feet after a natural disaster?
This month, the Philippines Department of Tourism launched a global advertising campaign to thank the world for its support and charity after Typhoon Haiyan.
Billboards featuring messages of thanks from the Philippines went up in New York, London, Berlin, Paris, Tokyo, Singapore, Toronto and Seoul.
Despite the tremendous damage done to the centre of the country, many of the Philippines greatest tourist spots remain unscarred and as beautiful as ever.
Luckily for scuba diving lovers, many popular dive destinations of the Philippines were unaffected by the typhoon. Expect to find shipwrecks, schools of tuna and eagle rays, and colourful corals, as you explore of the Philippines’ ocean depths.
Whether you love to don an air tank, or simply prefer to pop on your snorkel, the calm waters of Boracay make an excellent place for beginners to start. According to the Philippines Tourist Board, the site has calm waters and easy access to dive sites.
More experienced divers should head to Yapak, where whitetip reef sharks cruise between colourful corals. Padre Burgos is also a top dive site, with deep wall dives, offshore snorkelling and local initiatives to stop dynamite fishing.
Lastly, Palawan is a must-visit with Japanese shipwrecks from World War II and the Apo Reef Natural Park, where sharks, tuna, barracudas, mackerel and mantas can be spotted.
- 2014 sees the launch of direct flights from the UK to the country's capital city.
For the first time since the Asian financial crisis in 2007, Philippines Airlines will fly five times a week from Heathrow to Manila. The Philippines has a fast-growing wellness tourism industry.
Travel lovers who prefer to spend their days doing yoga rather than trekking round historical monuments, will find an array of fantastic resorts to suit their needs, such as The Farm at San Benito (pictured).
Set in an organic coconut palm plantation, this holistic retreat is the perfect antidote to the stresses of modern living.
If you want to experience a taste of high society in the city’s capital city, there's no better place than The Peninsula.
Once considered the 'Paris of Asia', Manila has sadly fallen on harder times, since WWII bombing raids destroyed much of its historic landscape.
Still, there's one place in Manila where time has stood still.
As you enter the main lobby, you'll hear classic '50s songs played live on a grand piano. Locals continue to dress up and use the cocktail lounge ever weekend. And the hotel's majestic fountain is a classy landmark in a city that has always known how to have a good time.
:: The starting rate for The Peninsula Manila is 10,000 PHP per room per night (£133 based on today’s exchange rate) based on two adults sharing a Superior King Room. For further details and bookings please go to their website.
Surfers in the know head to the Cloud 9 break off Siargao Island (pictured), a southern island that's known for her perfect beaches, chilled atmosphere and incredible waves.
Thankfully the Typhoon missed the island by just 70 kilometres, so now's the perfect to visit this jewel of the peninsula.
Try Sagana resort for a well-priced resort from which to enjoy this fabled surf, which holds domestic and international surfing competitions every September.
Other popular destinations include San Juan in La Union, known as the surfing capital of the northern Philippines, the Blue Lagoon in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte and Baras, Catanduanes, where pro surfers test their metal.
You can't always expect a warm welcome when you're visiting foreign countries, but that's exactly what you'll get in the Philippines.
Tourists are welcomed with friendly curiosity and you'll soon fall in love with every island's happy atmosphere.