DUBLIN:Ronan Fitzsimons is hoping to tap into the insatiable Irish appetite for shopping in New York, driven by the continued weakness of the US dollar and relatively cheap flights to the Big Apple.

With a background as a corporate letting agent in New York, Fitzsimons is selling upmarket apartments to short-stay visitors through his website: www.newyorkapartments.ie.

He says the target market is groups of three or four, usually women, who are visiting the US for a long weekend of retail therapy.

"You have a lot more space in an apartment compared to a hotel room, so it's a lot more relaxing," says Fitzsimons. "It's a niche market we are tapping into." Niche it may be but the potential upside is huge. He says the Irish will spend $651 million (€444 million) in New York this year, which averages out at $2,400 (€1,635) per person per visit. Prices range from €319 a night for a studio apartment in Times Square which will sleep two, to €479 for a two-bed on the upper West Side which can sleep six.