The Provincial Property Management Company of Holguín has announced a public tender for the management of two iconic venues in the city: the Palace of Marriages, located at 114 Maceo Street, and the Emilio Bárcenas hair salon, at Commander Fajardo Street, Building 2.
The announcement was published on Thursday on the Facebook profile of the Holguín Business Group, urging to take advantage of "the opportunity to realize the project of your dreams."
Non-agricultural cooperatives, state entities, micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (mipymes), and self-employed workers can participate.
As in all similar processes in Cuba, property ownership remains in the hands of the State. What is being auctioned is only the management or administration of the premises.
The call generated mixed reactions on social media. Some citizens celebrated the possibility that the Marriage Palace would regain its splendor.
A person who worked there described it as "one of the iconic places in our province" that has "unfortunately deteriorated like many others," although they expressed hope that someone would restore it "to its original purpose."
However, distrust was the prevailing sentiment among those who have closely experienced these processes. A citizen who claimed to have participated in several previous bids was straightforward: "I don't believe in bids. I've participated in several. And in the end, it already has an owner. It's just all protocol."
Others took the opportunity to highlight the widespread deterioration of public spaces in Holguín. "It would be great if they would put the Los Caballitos Park out for bids to see if that big garbage dump can be cleared," wrote a user, referring to the children's recreational facility that turned into a dump, located very close to the Marriage Palace.
Another person lamented the state of the agricultural market known as El Mambí: "It's sad to see how they have gradually destroyed it and turned it into a dump. A landmark construction in Holguín."
"The most forceful criticism pointed directly at the state model: 'Another example of the greatness of the revolution... institutions unable to produce anything.'"
This Holguín bid is part of a trend that has accelerated throughout this year. In July, private entities took over the management of iconic dining spaces in Cienfuegos, including the restaurant Covadonga and the ice cream parlors Coppelia and El Cairo.
In this month of August, the government began to invite bids for the management of family care system cafeterias to non-state actors.
Likewise, Ciego de Ávila opened bidding for six warehouses as part of the Mercado del Barrio project, while a state-owned enterprise in Villa Clara sought private parties to operate 21 commercial premises in eight municipalities.
In Holguín, the immediate precedent dates back to August 2025, when the government handed over four state bars in the municipality of Rafael Freyre using the same scheme.
The pattern repeats: the state relinquishes what it cannot manage, and entrepreneurs take on the risk of investing in facilities that have deteriorated after decades of failed government management.
Citizen distrust toward these processes is not an isolated phenomenon. According to a survey cited by Bloomberg Línea, 84% of Cubans do not trust that the recent economic measures will improve the country's situation, a figure that aligns with the skepticism expressed in comments about the Holguín tender.
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