Jeremy Hunt's "20.12% discount"

This Monday at the Conservative Party conference Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport (and, though his department's name still leaves it out, Tourism), made an announcement.

He said he wants to "transform our domestic tourism industry by making 2012 the year to take a holiday at home with discounts at hotels and B&Bs up and down the country of 20.12%".

When we at the Bed & Breakfast Association heard this (after the speech, not before), we were - to say the least - surprised. (Apart from anything else, it seems to imply that Mr Hunt believes that B&Bs are overcharging by a fifth, and all we need to do is slash our prices.)

We have contacted Mr Hunt's department to ask about this interesting idea. I will keep you posted!