Local People's Perception Towards Visitation to Museum Rumah Kelahiran Buya Hamka: An Ungendered Perspective

Local people, both male, and female contribute significantly to the development of tourism in their area. Their perception towards visitors will influence their behaviors towards literary tourism destinations, including those in West Sumatra. The article aims at, first, evaluating the visitation to Museum Rumah Kelahiran Buya HAMKA within five years (2015-2019), analyzing the attitudes and behaviors of the local people towards visitation, scrutinizing how the people deal with the visit’s socio-culturally, and lastly, showing how the people perceive the visitation. The data on visitation were gathered from the museum archive. The information on local people's ungendered perceptions came from a questionnaire filled in by a sample of 30 people in Sungai Batang, West Sumatra, Indonesia. The descriptive survey technique was used to determine how the local people perceived the museum and its visitors. The results indicate that the yearly visits remain constant. However, the museum's monthly visits fluctuate and correlate with the visit times. The people generally support the museum's existence, the visitors, and the side effects of the visitation. Their answers indicate that they pay positive attitudes and behaviors towards the museum's activities because they helped improve their local economy.