  We present 2D hydrodynamical simulations of hot Jupiters orbiting near the
inner edge of protoplanetary discs. We systemically explore how the accretion
rate at the inner disc edge is regulated by a giant planet of different mass,
orbital separation and eccentricity. We find that a massive (with
planet-to-star mass ratio $\gtrsim 0.003$) eccentric ($e_p\gtrsim 0.1$) planet
drives a pulsed accretion at the inner edge of the disc, modulated at one or
two times the planet's orbital frequency. The amplitude of accretion
variability generally increases with the planet mass and eccentricity, although
some non-monotonic dependences are also possible. Applying our simulation
results to the T Tauri system CI Tau, where a young hot Jupiter candidate has
been detected, we show that the observed luminosity variability in this system
can be explained by pulsed accretion driven by an eccentric giant planet.
