Tourism of 21st century presents a tourism of events and functions. The research topic in this paper are the events in tourism based on religious motives. Religious events do not only attract the people of faith but also many other inquisitives, tourists and passers-by looking for a cultural, or some other event. Competitiveness of a tourist destination depends on defining and shaping up events as the most significant components of appeal in the process of attracting potential tourists. Religious tourism is one of the forms of tourist travel. It is indisputable, that religious tourism is rooted in the distant past, but this phenomenon is present in any nation and in any religion throughout the world. This economic sector of tourism shows besides its religious features all the significant features of tourism in general. Accordingly, religious tourism is gaining its significance as an economic and business activity with economic effects. Croatian tourist economy has great potential in the development of religious tourism. By analyzing the structure of tourism demand based on religious motives, with special emphasis on the Roman Catholic Church, the structure of tourism which meets the religious motives and needs of tourists is defined. At the same time it makes possible to determine the size and structure of tourist expenditure caused by religious events. From the above mentioned it can be concluded that tourist offer based on religious events, implies earning of a higher added value of the destination product. Tourist opportunities of such a kind should be identified and implemented in the offer of the overall Croatian tourist economy.