Pakistan, July 13 -- From French soccer jerseys to slick online campaigns, Dubai is trumpeting the fact that it has reopened for tourism today.

But what that means for this sheikhdom that relies on the dollars, pounds, rupees and yuan spent by travellers remains in question.

With travel uncertain and the coronavirus still striking nations Dubai relies on for tourists, this city-state wants to begin coaxing people back to its beaches and its cavernous shopping malls.

By instilling the idea that Dubai is safe, authorities likely hope to fuel interest in the sheikhdom ahead of its crucial tourist-heavy winter months.

But all that depends on controlling a virus that the United Arab Emirates as a whole continues to fight. Armed with thermo...